Real Madrid, Barcelona Among Best, PSG, Chelsea Among Worst in Power Rankings for Top European Teams 2014-15
This past week featured some exhilarating soccer matches in both domestic and European tournaments.
A number of great teams had tremendous weeks while some flopped throughout.
Here is a look at the winners and losers of the weekend:
Winners
There can be no doubt that the two Spanish titans head this list as the top sides of the week. Real Madrid entered it Champions League competition against FC Basel with a lot of questions to answer.
And answer they did.
The team came out with an intensity not seen this season and managed to put the game away in the first 45 minutes with a 4-1 lead. Every big star contributed in the scoring and even the much-maligned keeper Iker Casillas made a spectacular save. The team followed that up with a history 8-2 win on the road in Galicia against Deportivo La Coruna. It was the first time Los Blancos put that many goals in the net away from Madrid.
Barcelona was also on top of the world this week with two more clean sheets. The team, which struggled defensively last season, has yet to concede a goal since the start of the season. The first game against APOEL was not great, but a 1-0 win is still a win. The 5-0 win at Levante, however, was something completely different. Lionel Messi and Neymar are clicking on all front and it should be interesting to see what happens when Luis Suarez joins the party.
Roma was not given much of a chance to get out of Group E, but the team has now responded with a 5-1 win to open the tournament. Rudi Garcia's side looks dangerous and could upset either Manchester City or Bayern Munich on its way through the group stage. The team followed that emphatic win with a 2-0 victory over Cagliari.
Juventus also picked up two big wins during the week including one over Malmo and another over AC Milan. Monaco added two victories to its slate in both the French League and Champions League. Not bad for a team that lost two of its major stars during the summer.
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Losers
The losers were actually rather shocking. This is not a list of barrel-dwellers, but rather top sides that had woeful weeks.
First on the list is Chelsea, which only managed two draws in the span of a week. This team looked to be flying high after scoring at will in the Premier League, but the team struggled at home against a Schalke side that it had dispatched 3-0 in two matches last year. There is little to complain about the team's 1-1 draw in Manchester City, except for the fact that Chelsea had a 1-0 lead and should have been able to close out the win after getting the benefit of a red card against its rivals.
Atletico Madrid looked to have an extensive hangover after defeating crosstown rivals Real Madrid in last week's derby. The team looked shellshocked at Olympiacos and lost 3-2. In its league game this weekend, the defending champs blew a 2-1 lead at home and settled for a 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo.
Manchester United did not compete in the Champions League, but the team's 5-3 defeat against Leicester City this week certainly deserves some comment. The team's attack is certainly vicious, but the defense certainly looks beatable. This team has now won just once in six matches this season. And this one was arguably their most embarrassing loss this season.
Paris Saint-Germain managed two draws this week and lacked that dynamism that has made them a powerhouse in the past two seasons. Bayern Munich, despite defeating Manchester City, drew against Hamburg during the weekend and is struggling to score goals. Manchester City lost against Munich and then drew at home against Chelsea.
Which teams were your big winners and losers of the week?
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