📈 Power Rankings: Four new teams, PL club takes top spot, Barça slump | OneFootball

Feels like the perfect time for a Power Rankings update, right?

10. Milan (🆕)

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The blip appears to be over, with Milan winning four games (and keeping four clean sheets) in a row after an awful start to 2023.

“Finally we played with the energy I recognise from my players,” Stefano Pioli said after the weekend defeat of Atalanta. “That is the most important aspect. We needed to have a sense of consistency, as we had never won four in a row this season.”

They have now.

9. Nice (🆕)

With six wins in their last eight games, Nice have more points than anyone else in Ligue 1 over the last two months.

Incredibly they have conceded just twice in that run as interim boss Didier Digard shows he maybe deserves a shot at keeping the position.

8. Juventus (🆕)

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Juve’s season appeared to be over when they were hit with a 15-point deduction last month. Just look at them now. With four league wins in a row they are up to seventh and Lazio — ten points ahead — are in sight in fourth.

Juve have progressed in the Europa League too and it seems, for now, that Massimiliano Allegri has found the answers to silence his critics once more.

7. Real Madrid (🆕)

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Real Madrid were overlooked last week despite their incredible win at Anfield — that LaLiga defeat to Mallorca still loomed large, given the title race repercussions — but they  have now had a really positive few weeks.

The Club World Cup win and getting back on track in LaLiga were followed by that immediately iconic win against Liverpool. A draw in the derby against Atleti at the weekend was quickly followed by Barcelona losing to Almería. The title race remains alive.

6. Bayern Munich (👍 Last week: 8)

Whenever Bayern Munich need to make a statement, they make it emphatically. Potential title challengers Union Berlin were in town on Sunday hoping to go top of the Bundesliga but were 3-0 down before half-time.

With three wins from their last four in the league they are top on goal difference and they are also in the driving seat in the Champions League tie with PSG. When questions are seriously posed and they aren’t in a position to relax, Bayern still always have the answers.

5. Barcelona (👎 Last week: 3)

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A poor weekend saw Barcelona lose at Almería just when it seemed they had the chance to take the title race out of Real Madrid’s sight. That game coming days after the defeat to Manchester United means there is a real cloud over Camp Nou right now.

Two results don’t undo all the great work that came before but Barça now must respond in the Copa del Rey clash at the Bernabéu on Thursday.

4. Arsenal (👍 Last week: 6)

Three Premier League wins in a row and Arsenal are, just like that, five points clear again.

The February wobble cost them no ground in the title race and they ended the month with nine goals, two clean sheets, and nine points from a possible nine. It seems — again — they are in this for the long haul.

3. Borussia Dortmund (👎 Last week: 2)

The only team in Europe with a 100% record in 2023. Still

Dortmund are now up to seven league wins and two wins in other competitions in their nine competitive matches since the turn of the year.

The last time they won more than seven Bundesliga matches came in the last season they (or anyone other than Bayern Munich) won the title.

2. Napoli (👎 Last week: 1)

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There is nothing left to be said about Napoli, who are now a monstrous 18 points clear at the top of Serie A. It’s over.

1. Manchester United (👍 Last week: 4)

The trophy drought has ended, Barcelona have been knocked out of Europe, an FA Cup quarter-final awaits. There’s room for improvement in the league — United have won three of their last four but also only three of their last six – but they still, across all competitions, look like the most in-form team in Europe.

And in Marcus Rashford they may well have the world’s most in-form player.

A trip to Liverpool awaits this weekend.