📈 Power Rankings: Three new entries, three PL teams slide | OneFootball

The transfer window is a distant speck in the rearview mirror but the football goes on, so it’s time for another update to our power rankings of Europe’s most in-form teams …

10. Manchester United (👎 Last week: 6)

It was all going so well for Manchester United but they keep slipping up just as they appear to enter the title race question. Wednesday’s draw against Leeds made it just one win in four in the league and Erik ten Hag’s side are now seven points off of Arsenal, who have two games in hand.

The improvements they have made this season are clear but there is a huge reliance on Casemiro’s availability to keep them solid and another ban seems to have opened the floodgates in front of the defence.

9. Marseille (👎 Last week: 5)

Marseille stay in the top 10 thanks to a midweek Coupe de France win over PSG but they sink after a bad defeat at the weekend.

A 3-1 home defeat to Nice left Marseille eight points adrift of PSG just as a title race appeared to break out in Ligue 1. Two home games in a row without winning have all but ended those hopes.

8. Newcastle United (👎 Last week 4)

Still enjoying the longest unbeaten run in Europe’s top leagues, you may wonder why Newcastle are sinking. Fact is, in league games but they have now drawn four of their last five and are in danger of losing their spot in the top four.

7. Brighton (🆕)

Up to sixth in the Premier League and moving on in the FA Cup after knocking Liverpool out, Brighton are having some season.

Roberto De Zerbi arguably has the side playing even better than Graham Potter did, with Kaoru Mitoma a revelation, and the Seagulls now have three wins and a draw from their last four Premier League outings. They are not to be underestimated.

6. Porto (👍 Last week: 9)

Having won the League Cup, Porto keep applying pressure to Benfica in the league and have marched on in the other domestic cup competition.

Their unbeaten run in all competitions is now up to 20 games, they’ve now won 17 of those (and eight in a row) and they have Inter in their sights when the Champions League returns.

5. Arsenal (👎 Last week: 3)

The FA Cup defeat to Man City didn’t hurt too much but Saturday’s loss to Everton certainly did. Arsenal were off the pace at Goodison Park but were let off the hook with Tottenham’s win over Manchester City the following day.

After two defeats in a row, the Premier League leaders must respond this weekend before hosting City next Wednesday.

4. Borussia Dortmund (🆕)

Dortmund had a rocky 2022 but have won all five of their games at the start of 2023 as things begin to fall into place.

Four Bundesliga successes and a DFB-Pokal win at Bochum have coincided with the return of Sébastien Haller and the superb form of not just Jude Bellingham but also Julian Brandt. Now they have built the platform, the pressure is on to build upon it.

3. Union Berlin (🆕)

Another Bundesliga side with five wins from five since football restarted in Germany, Union had wobbled at the end of last year but have now returned to the title conversation. Sure, everyone expects Bayern to win the league, but it’s great to see someone sticking with them for as long as possible.

Not that head coach Urs Fischer is getting carried away, insisting Union are still targeting that 40-point mark to seal another top flight campaign. They are already on 39, so he should end the season a very happy man.

2. Napoli (No change)

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Five wins in a row in Serie A and there is not much more to be said about Napoli, who charge on to the title like it is no big deal at all.

1. Barcelona (No change)

Likewise, Barcelona are impressively focused on the task at hand. Robert Lewandowski missed a few games, it didn’t matter. Now Ousmane Dembélé is suspended, yet they roll on.

Now up to 10 wins in a row across all competitions and 14 wins and a draw in their last 15 games, they are invoking memories of the Barça of old.