Footy Power Rankings: Sevilla makes surprise appearance as Spurs plummet

Taking into consideration recent domestic and continental results, along with underlying stats, we try to figure out which clubs are among Europe’s elite.

1. Barcelona (1st in La Liga)

Previous rank: 1st

Lionel Messi had an average showing against Alaves … in that he only scored once, and it was a game-winning free-kick, and it was beautiful. But that’s just how it goes at Barcelona, which leads La Liga and the rest of Europe on the back of solid, consistent form and the sort of talent other teams just don’t boast. The Blaugrana only got stronger with the addition of Philippe Coutinho. – AB.

2. Manchester City (1st in Premier League)

Previous rank: 2nd

Manchester City’s defence appeared a little shell-shocked following the mid-January defeat in Liverpool. Oft-toothless Newcastle United bagged a goal at the Etihad Stadium, and Bristol City scored two against Pep Guardiola’s throng despite firing blanks in the Championship. Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup win at Cardiff City was a return to form, though, with the Premier League leader blending rhythmic attacks with controlled aggression. – DR

3. Paris Saint-Germain (1st in Ligue 1)

Previous rank: 3rd

PSG suffered a bit of a setback in a 2-1 loss to Lyon, but it’ll take much more than that to unseat the Ligue 1 giant from the top of the table. An 8-0 win over Dijon as well as a 4-0 drubbing of Montpellier sees Unai Emery’s side sit pretty with an 11-point gap at the top of the table, though PSG has a game in hand on second-placed Lyon. If Edinson Cavani keeps up his record-shattering goal-scoring form, it’s hard to see PSG dropping out of our top five, either. – AB

4. Bayern Munich (1st in Bundesliga)

Previous rank: 4th

Sixteen points separate Bayern Munich from the Bundesliga’s chasing pack, but the Bavarian club is keeping things interesting. Mark Uth and Serge Gnabry scored before Bayern roared back with five unanswered goals against Hoffenheim on Saturday. And with three goals and an assist in his last two outings, Robert Lewandowski is single-handedly ruining new arrival Sandro Wagner’s hopes of being a starter for Germany at the World Cup. – DR

5. Napoli (1st in Serie A)

Previous rank: 8th

Sitting pretty atop the Serie A table, Napoli enjoyed a 1-0 win against Atalanta and a 3-1 win over Bologna to keep Juventus at bay. As a result, the new title challenger leapfrogs above the Old Lady in our rankings as well. Dries Mertens continues adding to his scoring tally and has 13 to his name in Serie A this season – a commendable return for the Belgian forward. – AB

6. Manchester United (2nd in Premier League)

Previous rank: 10th

Jose Mourinho has little to complain about over the last couple of weeks, as Manchester United easily dispatched Burnley 1-0, then burned Yeovil Town in a 4-0 victory, all while adding Alexis Sanchez to its ranks in the winter transfer window. The Red Devils are now even stronger, and while the Premier League title is still out of reach, confidence is growing at Old Trafford. – AB

7. Juventus (2nd in Serie A)

Previous rank: 7th

It’s business as usual at Juventus, which dispatched Genoa 1-0 and Chievo Verona 2-0 in the last couple weeks to keep pace with Napoli at the top of the table in Serie A. While the Old Lady isn’t enjoying its usual dominance atop the pile, the team remains defensively sound and offensively potent, and is transitioning from Gianluigi Buffon by starting Wojciech Szczesny. – AB

8. Chelsea (3rd in Premier League)

Previous rank: 12th

It’s been a mixed bag for Chelsea over the last two weeks, with a 4-0 win over Brighton setting the stage for a proper showing against Arsenal in the League Cup, only for the Blues to lose 2-1. Antonio Conte’s side was then held to a 1-1 score in the FA Cup replay with Norwich City, before finding form again in a 3-0 victory over Newcastle. Chelsea is still a dangerous team, and with movement around it, a bump up into the top 10 is fair, if somewhat unexpected. – AB

9. Atletico Madrid (2nd in La Liga)

Previous rank: 5th

Getting dumped out of the Copa del Rey with a pair of losses to Sevilla hurt Atletico Madrid this time around, as did a 1-1 draw with Girona. Diego Simeone won’t be pleased with the cup elimination, as a title challenge against Barcelona seems unlikely. As Diego Costa finds his feet in training, it is Fernando Torres who helped save the day against Las Palmas, where a 3-0 win helped correct course ever so slightly. – AB

10. Sevilla (6th in La Liga)

Previous rank: NR

Vincenzo Montella’s inability to meld the expensively assembled squad at AC Milan cost him his job, and he suffered the worst initiation possible when his new employer, Sevilla, lost 5-3 at home to bitter rival Real Betis on Jan. 6. Things have fared better since, with a two-legged 5-2 shunning of Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey being a particular highlight. – DR

11. Lyon (2nd in Ligue 1)

Previous rank: NR

Outside the lavishly paid ranks at Paris Saint-Germain, there is one standout player in Ligue 1. Nabil Fekir helped dismantle Les Parisiens on Jan. 21, scoring a delicious free-kick after two minutes and laying it off for Memphis Depay for the emphatic 94th-minute winner. Lyon probably won’t win the French title, but the club is still in fine fettle after the summer losses of Corentin Tolisso and Alexandre Lacazette. Bruno Genesio deserves credit. – DR

12. Real Madrid (4th in La Liga)

Previous rank: NR

A 2-1 loss to Leganes saw Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid knocked out of the Copa del Rey, a setback the French tactician probably couldn’t afford to suffer, as Real sits fourth in La Liga, too. But that loss was sandwiched by a 7-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna and a 4-1 win over third-place Valencia, perhaps signalling something of a comeback for Real Madrid, who welcomed its infamous “BBC” strike-force back for the first time in 279 days, too. – AB

13. FC Porto (1st in Primeira Liga)

Previous rank: NR

Still undefeated in league play, FC Porto has won its last five matches in a row and remains in the Champions League hunt against a Liverpool team that has repeatedly demonstrated a weakness in defending. Luckily, Porto can rely on its backline, having conceded just nine goals in league play, which should help stave off the Reds’ attack while keeping hope alive for a surprise victory. – AB

14. Tottenham Hotspur (5th in Premier League)

Previous rank: 9th

There’s something lacking at Tottenham. Mauricio Pochettino’s substitutions are sometimes too late and ill-advised, Dele Alli is yet to reach the heights of the previous two terms, and Mousa Dembele’s talents sadly appear to be dwindling. Christian Eriksen’s absence is the obvious deficiency, though, and it’s no coincidence the Dane was missing from draws at Southampton and lowly Newport County. – DR

15. PSV Eindhoven (1st in Eredivisie)

Previous rank: 15th

PSV wasn’t convincing in Saturday’s win at FC Twente. The relegation-threatened side should’ve equalised or even gone ahead after Hirving Lozano’s nodded opener, but instead fell to a 2-0 scoreline which flattered PSV when Santiago Arias nicked another in the final moments. Despite the off-colour performance, Phillip Cocu’s side was able to stretch a seven-point lead atop the Eredivisie after Ajax drew at FC Utrecht a day later. – DR

On the cusp: Arsenal, Galatasaray, Lazio, Liverpool, Lokomotiv Moscow

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)