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| For the second consecutive week, Chelsea fell behind vs. a top team and fought back for an impressive win. |
1. Chelsea (+1)
Will
Antonio Conte's side ever lose another game? Of course they will, but
for now the Blues are rolling through opponents with ease. Last weekend
saw another master class against a top opponent as they fell behind at
Man City but rallied for three slick goals to take all three points and
cement their position at the top of the Premier League. Rivals, beware.
2. Real Madrid (-1)
Zinedine
Zidane's side stumbled a little in the past week but are still well on
course for their La Liga and Champions League objectives. A strong
showing in Saturday's Clasico saw them grab a dramatic late 1-1
draw thanks to Sergio Ramos' header, while a midweek date with Borussia
Dortmund ended with an entertaining 2-2 draw. Los Blancos are far from invincible, but Zidane has restored their sense of belief.
3. Juventus (+2)
Are the Bianconeri
finally clicking? It's taken a few weeks for them to figure things out,
but Saturday's 3-1 win over Atalanta was as good as Max Allegri's side
have looked all season. Mario Mandzukic continued his fine run of form
with a goal, and his strike partner Gonzalo Higuain was on the mark in
Wednesday's 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. Juve
topped their UCL group and are four points clear in Serie A: not bad at
all.
4. RB Leipzig (no change)
Can
Leipzig continue their Leicester-like run in Germany? All signs point
to yes: With no European football to trouble their tight squad, the
minnows defeated Schalke 2-1 on Saturday to remain three points ahead of
Bayern Munich. Yes, it felt odd to write that. They're the only
unbeaten team in the German top flight and boast a goal difference of
plus-18, second-best behind the Bavarian giants. What else can you write
about this Cinderella story?
5. Barcelona (+3)
Reports
of Barca's demise were greatly exaggerated, as it turns out: Luis
Enrique's side shrugged off some indifferent league form to grab a
deserved 1-1 Clasico draw on Saturday against in-form Real
Madrid and followed it up with a decisive 4-0 win over Borussia
Monchengladbach to round out their Champions League group stage. Andres
Iniesta is back and healthy, while Arda Turan (who scored three vs.
Gladbach) showed he can take some of the attacking burden off the fabled
"MSN." It bodes well for the Catalan giants heading into the winter.
6. Roma (+4)
Serie
A has had several clubs struggling to compete with Juventus, but this
season's AS Roma might finally be able to sustain a season-long charge.
The Giallorossi fought hard for a 2-0 Rome derby win over Lazio
at the weekend to remain second in the league on goal difference ahead
of AC Milan. Roma also rounded out their Europa League group stage with a
0-0 draw at Astra Giurgiu, a result that matters little given that they
had already guaranteed their place in the round of 32.
7. Bayern Munich (new)
The
transition from Pep Guardiola to Carlo Ancelotti hasn't been entirely
smooth this season, but the big boys of Germany still have plenty of
quality to get them through the rough patches. Robert Lewandowski scored
a hat trick in Friday's 3-1 win vs. Mainz, his first goals since Nov.
1, and then scored again in the midweek 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid to
wrap up Champions League Group D. Despite some indifferent form, they're
right where they need to be.
8. Borussia Dortmund (new)
Another
big German club to have laboured a bit this season, Thomas Tuchel's
side have found some cohesion this week. A 4-1 win over Borussia
Monchengladbach (aided by a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brace) gave way to
a spirited 2-2 draw at Real Madrid in midweek, a game in which they
rallied from 2-0 down after 53 minutes. Flair and a fightback from the
black-and-yellows should give fans something to cheer.
9. Nice (new)
As
if RB Leipzig's stunning season so far wasn't impressive enough, Nice
are pulling something similar in France. They're still top of Ligue 1
and notched their 12th win of the season last weekend vs. Toulouse, with
Alassane Plea scoring his ninth league goal in 16 appearances to kick
off a 3-0 win. Paris Saint-Germain's struggles are only helping Les Aiglons
remain soaring domestically, and the return of Mario Balotelli in the
Europa League helped them close a difficult campaign with a 2-1 win vs.
FC Krasnodar.
10. AC Milan (new)
We've been watching Milan's many reboots over the past few seasons, but this time around the renaissance looks legit. The Rossoneri
won their only game this week, a 2-1 come-from-behind victory vs.
Crotone, to remain third in Serie A on goal difference and just four
points behind Juventus. It's a far cry from the midtable mediocrity and
constant managerial turnover we'd come to expect, and it's driven by
unheralded talent like ex-Liverpool midfielder Suso. Gianluca Lapadula,
who scored once and earned a penalty kick in Sunday's win, might also be
one of the stories of the season.
Dropping out: Manchester City, Liverpool, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain
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