Champions League Week 3 Power Rankings

Barcelona reasserted their dominance in Europe’s premier club competition at the expense of former manager Pep Guardiola.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team took a battering from a Lionel Messi-inspired Barca at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. It’s a result that propelled the Blaugrana in the rankings, while sending the Citizens plummeting.

One Premier League team suffered, but Tuesday saw champions Leicester continue their perfect start to a debut campaign in the Champions League. Manager Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes stay in the tournament’s top five after a third win in a row.

Here’s the new top 16 after the third round of group matches.

16. FC Copenhagen

Leicester’s winning run continued at FC Copenhagen’s expense. The Danes were well and truly blanked at the King Power Stadium.

They suffered from taking on City at their own game. Namely, one based on long balls and muscle in midfield.

The problem was Leicester had strikers Jamie Vardy and Islam Slimani, along with winger Riyad Mahrez, to make the most of their scant chances. By contrast, Copenhagen had lumbering and misfiring target men Andreas Cornelius and Federico Santander.

15. Manchester City

It’s a massive drop for Guardiola’s men, who were propping up the top 10 in the last rankings. But their titanic tumble is justified after conceding seven times in the last two matches.

Four of those goals came against Barca and man of the moment Messi. He helped himself to a hat-trick, while Neymar also got in on the act.

Yet there’s not much shame in being overwhelmed by Barcelona’s awesome forward line, even for City. The real issue stems from the Citizens’ lack of attacking thrust.

Including their last two Premier League outings, a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and draw with Everton, City have scored just once in three games.

It’s a bizarre drought for a squad loaded with marquee attackers, such as Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne. Perhaps despite the additions of Nolito and Leroy Sane, along with a fast start to the season enjoyed by Raheem Sterling, City remain as overly reliant on Aguero as ever.

14. Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham’s point away to Bayer Leverkusen was to their credit, but the 0-0 stalemate also hinted at why Spurs might struggle in this tournament. There simply aren’t enough goals in manager Mauricio Pochettino’s functional and disciplined team.

At least Poch can rely on a miserly defense underpinned brilliantly by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and his panther-like reflexes. The French stopper made more than one splendid save to frustrate Leverkusen.

Spurs are stingy, but they’ll need more inspiration going forward to really make waves in the competition.

13. Besiktas

Copenhagen may be all muscle and no guile, but Besiktas are capably combining strength and craft. The combination helped them upset Group B leaders Napoli in Naples.

A brace from powerhouse striker Vincent Aboubakar helped the Turks to a 3-2 win. Former Porto star Aboubakar is a wily striker with the pace and brute force to surprise many Champions League defenses.

But the big man up top is ably supported by the trickery and flair of winger Ricardo Quaresma. The savvy of deep-lying schemer Gokhan Inler has also provided a boost.

Napoli are still two points ahead, but they shouldn’t relish the trip to Istanbul on Matchday 4.

12. AS Monaco

They may be leading Group E, but Monaco are hardly turning heads. In fact, the Ligue 1 side has only five points to its credit, with the last earned after a 1-1 away draw with CSKA Moscow.

Bernardo Silva struck late to confirm the draw, but Monaco showed little else going forward. It’s a familiar pattern for manager Leonardo Jardim’s team.

Monaco are cagey, ruthless and efficient. But they lack the firepower to do more than grind out results.

11. Napoli

A very rare home defeat drops Napoli outside the top 10, even though they still lead Group B. Dries Mertens scored early, before Manolo Gabbiadini struck from the spot in the second half.

But those goals still weren’t enough for a team breached three times on home soil. The tournament’s official site detailed how rare it is for Napoli to lose at home in Europe:

Still, this is a squad loaded with talent in forward areas. Mertens is joined by Lorenzo Insigne and Arkadiusz Milik, while Jorginho marshals midfield superbly.

Consistency is the key for this talented yet underachieving side.

10. Paris Saint-Germain

Unai Emery may be hitting upon the right formula for Paris Saint-Germain in Europe. The Ligue 1 giants won and scored three goals for the second-straight matchday. Second is also where they sit in Group A after Angel di Maria, Lucas Moura and Edinson Cavani each found the net to beat Basel.

Cavani in particular is on a rich run in front of goal:

So why aren’t PSG ranked higher? Well, for one thing they are still second in a group short on quality opposition, bar leaders Arsenal.

Then there’s the fact Basel could easily have made things different had they not hit the bar on three occasions.

Emery knows how to win in Europe after bagging a hat-trick of UEFA Europa League trophies with Sevilla. But he hasn’t got moneybags PSG firing on all cylinders just yet.

9. Sevilla

PSG aren’t quite clicking, and neither are Emery’s old team Sevilla. Still, new boss Jorge Sampaoli has the Europa League holders second in Group H.

Sevilla staked their claim to second after beating Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 in Croatia. The goal came courtesy of Samir Nasri, the Manchester City loanee who is enjoying a rebirth in his career.

Always a talent, ex-Arsenal playmaker Nasri has been inconsistent for the longest time. But he’s responded superbly to Sampaoli’s methods. So has another attacking midfield maestro, Franco Vazquez.

Sampaoli’s Sevilla possess ingenuity in the middle, energy out wide and resolve at the back. But they’re sure to miss the pace and goals Kevin Gameiro provided last season.

8. Bayern Munich

Four goals and as many different goal scorers proved Bayern Munich are back on song in the Champions League. Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski, Joshua Kimmich and Arjen Robben all got in on the act to put PSV Eindhoven to the sword.

It’s proof Bayern have recovered from being blanked by Atletico Madrid last time out. That was a very rare occurrence for a squad boasting so many quality names.

Munich are still three points off the pace in Group D. However, with Lewandowski and Co., and guided by Champions League master Carlo Ancelotti, the Bundesliga super club remains a major threat.

7. Real Madrid

The holders have some defensive woes, but flexed their attacking muscle by sticking five past Legia Warsaw. Real even spread the goals around as well.

This was no Cristiano Ronaldo-only show, as Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio and substitutes Alvaro Morata and Lucas Vazquez all scored. It’s a timely reminder of the underrated depth Los Blancos boast this season thanks to the emergence of prospects like Asensio and Vazquez.

6. Borussia Dortmund

Yet for all their quality, Real are still to peg back Borussia Dortmund in Group F. The Germans have the firepower most teams in this tournament would envy.

Their exciting forward line is led by cheetah-fast striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He scored the first in a 2-1 away win over Sporting CP.

Next: Champions League Week 2 Power Rankings

But it was junior midfield general Julian Weigl who really emerged with credit. The 21-year-old was given a perfect 10 rating by ESPN FC‘s Stefan Buczko after netting the first goal of his burgeoning career.

There’s a boldness to the way Dortmund play that has to be admired. Theirs is a possession-based style built around passing to win, rather than trying not to lose.

Dortmund may be a little too open to win this tournament, but nobody is going to welcome trying to shackle this attack.

5. Juventus

When you have a world-class goalkeeper it makes sense to lean on him. Juventus did just that to escape Lyon with a 1-0 win and move to the top of Group H.

As they’ve so often done, Juve turned to Gianluigi Buffon. The 38-year-old ‘keeper turned away an Alexandre Lacazette penalty to frustrate Lyon. Juve’s official site summed up how fans of the Bianconeri feel about Gigi:

As for Lyon, they were even more annoyed when Chelsea loanee Juan Cuadrado came off the bench to bag the winner.

There’s just so much quality in Juve’s ranks. Cuadrado can come off the bench because the starting XI already features strikers Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala. Classy pass-master Miralem Pjanic is also redefining the midfield.

This versatility in forward areas is safeguarded by a defense filled with experienced winners, such as Dani Alves and Leonardo Bonucci. It’s a combination most will find difficult to crack this season.

4. Arsenal

A 6-0 win continued Arsenal’s outstanding run of form. The Gunners have now won nine and drawn two in their last 11 matches after obliterating Ludogorets on Wednesday night.

Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott scored the first two to continue their lethal partnership. This prolific double act has defined Arsenal’s special form.

Thanks to these two there’s extra pace and more perceptive movement up front for the Gunners this season. Sanchez’s tireless running and Walcott’s ability to play on the last shoulder of defenders means Arsenal are only ever one pass away from a scoring chance.

It also means manager Arsene Wenger’s team is playing quicker and more often in the final third. So there’s a relentlessness about the way Arsenal are attacking and keeping defenders under pressure.

The zest and efficiency of Sanchez and Walcott has become contagious. Mesut Ozil proved as much when he bagged the first hat-trick of his senior career, per WhoScored.com.

Those goals took Ozil’s tally to six for the season. His sudden goal glut is symptomatic of the refinements made to his game on Wenger’s watch.

Ozil is now more direct with his forward runs and more willing to go for goal. It’s a change reflected by these numbers from Squawka:

Add Ozil’s new-found finishing proficiency to the contributions of Sanchez and Walcott, and this is one of the deadliest attacking outfits in the competition.

3. Leicester

Three wins from three, nine points from nine and no goals conceded. Not bad for a team duking it out with Europe’s heavyweights for the first time.

The same things that served Leicester so well in England’s top flight last season are working wonders on the continent. Ranieri’s men are serving up a familiar diet of stubborn defending, high-energy pressing in midfield, direct passing and sudden-striking capability up top.

It’s how Copenhagen were seen off, much the same way FC Porto and Club Brugge were beaten. Nobody’s suggesting the Foxes can win the whole show, although betting against City was a dangerous game last season.

But Leicester are a sound bet to continue bossing a soft group. They also have the ideal formula for surviving knockout football.

2. Atletico Madrid

Atleti may have lost two finals, but they sure know how to navigate the early rounds of this tournament. A midweek trip to Russia ended in a predictable 1-0 win for a side masterful at fashioning narrow yet priceless results.

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco got the goal to beat Rostov. His partnership with smart-moving forward Antoine Griezmann has added a greater edge to Madrid’s forward line.

The extra dimension should prove invaluable for a team still built on the rock-solid foundation of a formidable back five and an industrious midfield.

It’s little wonder Atletico are managing to hold off the mighty Bayern in Group D.

1. Barcelona

Atleti aren’t in top spot this time because Barcelona look back to their free-scoring best. The five-time winners put four past a bewildered City to lay down a marker as the team to beat.

Barca merit the status because of the most devastating front three in the tournament:

https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/788845960629739520

With three mega stars up front, the question is who will be the deadliest each week? This time it was Messi’s turn.

He responded by scoring three times to earn a piece of history in the competition:

It’s difficult to bet against a team where Messi isn’t even the headline act anymore. Instead, he now shares top billing with Neymar and Luis Suarez.

But the most imposing aspect of this squad is how the quality is far from limited to the final third. Not when the midfield features cultured playmakers such as Ivan Rakitic, Andre Gomes and Andres Iniesta. Turn to the bench and you’ll see Denis Suarez and Arda Turan.

There are just too many weapons in the Barca armory for the rest of the competition to repel.