Friday 18 September 2015

Barcelona, Bayern Munich unmoved; Real Madrid climb Power Rankings


Barcelona manager Luis Enrique believes his side deserved all three points after their 1-1 draw against Roma in the UEFA Champions League.
There's no change at the top of the Power Rankings but, further down, Real Madrid are on the rise.
1. Barcelona (no change)
Even after returning from international duty in the U.S. and being present for the birth of his second son, Lionel Messi still had enough to score the winner at Atletico Madrid. Barca could not win away from home again when they visited Roma but a 1-1 draw was a more than acceptable start to their Champions League defence.
2. Bayern Munich (no change)
Controversy reigned as Bayern completed their comeback from a goal down vs. Augsburg with a hotly disputed 90th-minute penalty. Their trip to Athens in their UCL opener was more straightforward, with Thomas Muller continuing his incredible scoring run (11 goals in his last seven games for club and country) with a double strike in a 3-0 win.
3. Real Madrid (+3)
Any thoughts that Cristiano Ronaldo had lost his scoring touch were quickly forgotten as the Portuguese forward netted eight times in emphatic wins vs. Espanyol (6-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (4-0). A word too for Keylor Navas -- the goalkeeper Madrid didn't want -- who has kept clean sheets in four straight games to start the season.
Manchester City's Champions League campaign started poorly as they lost at home to Juventus.
4. Manchester City (-1)
Unbeatable at home but struggling in Europe ... haven't we heard a similar refrain before regarding City? A last-gasp win at Crystal Palace extended their 100 percent winning league start but the confidence of Manuel Pellegrini and co. was then dented as Juventus recovered from going behind to win 2-1 at the Etihad.
5. Paris Saint-Germain (-1)
After twice giving up leads to be held to a draw by Bordeaux -- thus dropping their first league points of the season -- PSG got their European campaign underway with a routine 2-0 win vs. Malmo. The game was perhaps most notable for a fine goal by Angel Di Maria, his first for the club.
6. Roma (+2) 
After a 2-0 win at Serie A newcomers Frosinone in which Iago Falque and Juan Iturbe scored, Roma earned a creditable draw vs. Barcelona in the Champions League. The highlight of the game was an amazing goal by Roma's Alessandro Florenzi, who managed to score with a shot from way out of the right touchline.
7. Borussia Dortmund (-2)
Thomas Tuchel's men made it four straight wins in the Bundesliga with a 4-2 triumph at Hannover, which saw recover from conceding the first goal of the game. They had a harder time in Thursday's Europa League opener at home to Kuban Krasnodar, falling behind 1-0 only to fight back and win 2-1 with goals from unlikely sources (Matthias Ginter and Park Joo-ho).
8. Atletico Madrid (+1) 
When Fernando Torres rolled back the years to open the scoring vs. Barcelona last week, it looked as through Atletico were set to topple the Spanish champions. They did not, ultimately, but emerged with credit nonetheless. Three days later, Antoine Griezmann's double strike earned a fine 2-0 Champions League win at Galatasaray.
9. Inter (new)
Fredy Guarin's winner in last Sunday's 1-0 Milan derby was vital not only for bragging rights but it also extended Inter's promising start to the Serie A campaign, which has seen them win their opening three games. Roberto Mancini has won the Scudetto before at the San Siro -- could history repeat itself?
10. PSV Eindhoven (new)
After thrashing Cambuur Leeuwarden 6-0 in the Eredivisie, PSV came from behind to beat Manchester United 2-1 in the Champions League. Phillip Cocu's Dutch champions lost key players in the summer -- including Memphis Depay to Old Trafford -- but showed in beating United that they remain well capable of springing a surprise.
Dropping out: River Plate, Ajax
Shaka Hislop played for over 10 years in the Premier League and represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 World Cup. Watch him on ESPN FC TV!

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