The World's Top 5 Soccer Clubs: September 2023
Two English clubs, two Spanish, and one Italian make up our first Top 5 ranking of the young season...
Friendly reminder that this is a subjective ranking, meant to foster debate as much as settle it. See the methodology to get caught up on how this all works. This ranking reflects all weekend games of September 16 and 17.
Honorable Mentions
These are the clubs deemed closest to the top 5 right now. They could very easily move into the top 5 if they play their cards right (and win games).
In rough order of consideration these are Arsenal, Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Second Tier
These clubs are seen as not quite good enough for consideration yet but they certainly have our attention. Unfortunately not all even play in Europe this season, which excludes them from Top 5 inclusion (but we can certainly mention them here).
In no particular order these are: AC Milan, Napoli, Brighton & Hove Albion, PSV Eindhoven, Porto, Benfica, Monaco, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen, Olympique Marseille, Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague, Atalanta, and yes, Tottenham Hotspur.
5. Liverpool
Record: 4-1-0 (four wins, one draw, no losses)
Key wins: At Newcastle, Aug. 27
Continental: Liverpool missed out on the Champions League due to finishing fifth last season. Instead they are in a Europa League group with LASK, Toulouse, and Union St. Gilloise that should not present them with any trouble.
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: The Europa League campaign kicks off Thursday with a visit to Linz, Austria where LASK reside. LASK by the way stands for Linzer Athletik Sport Klub and they sit third in the Austrian Bundesliga after seven matchdays. In Premiership action, Liverpool host West Ham this Sunday, which could be interesting (Hammers sit sixth after a hot start) and visit Tottenham Sept. 30. The showdown with Man City is Nov. 25 at the Etihad.
Liverpool edge out Arsenal on the ‘strength of schedule’ argument as both clubs have identical records. Reds’ win at Newcastle was more than Gunners have to their credit, though Newcastle are not exactly looking like the top 4 side they were last year. Arsenal did defeat Man United, but Man U are a mid-table club these days. The truth is that probably very little separates these two sides and some bias (the writer is a Tottenham supporter) may have also played a role. In all seriousness though, Arsenal just don’t look like they’ve been operating quite as smoothly this season. And Liverpool look improved. Mo Salah is now sticking around Merseyside until at least January. Dominik Szoboszlai is an exciting addition who has provided much-needed width to Liverpool’s attack. Darwin Nunez appears to have found his scoring touch (notched a quick brace to win the game at Newcastle) after a lackluster first season at Anfield. Juergen Klopp appears to have a little more depth to work with this year. One expects top four should be easily attainable this season, though a legitimate title challenge may be a bridge too far for reasons that are readily apparent (read on).
4. Barcelona
Record: (4-1-0)
Key Wins/Losses: None yet
Continental: Champions League group includes Shakhtar Donetsk, Royal Antwerp, and FC Porto. Degree of difficulty: Not at all. Should be a cakewalk.
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: Start their UCL campaign with Royal Antwerp at home tomorrow. We fully expect Barca to run the table in this group. Only the second matchday, when they visit Porto (Oct. 4) could present a hiccup. The league clash with Real Madrid looms at the Camp Nou on Oct. 28.
The departures of Ousmane Dembele and Franck Kessie over the summer were countered by the acquisitions of Ilkay Gundogan, Joao Felix, and Joao Cancelo, but it’s Barca’s young players that have us the most excited. The blaugrana routinely start three Spanish teenagers (Gavi, Alex Balde, and of course Lamine Yamal) while also getting contributions from 20-year old Pedri. The easy Champions League group provide a welcome opportunity to ease these youngsters into European competition. It may be a few months before we know for sure how good this Barcelona team can be. But if this isn’t their year, then next year should be even more promising. And the one after that, etc.
3. Real Madrid
Record: 5-0-0
Key wins: At Athletic Club Bilbao (2-0, Aug. 12)
Continental: Real’s Champions League group includes Union Berlin, Braga, and Napoli. Degree of difficulty: 5/10. Mid
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: The UCL kicks off this week with Union Berlin who have had a bit of a lackluster start to their campaign (2 wins, 2 losses). The group allows for an interesting test with Napoli, though the Italian champions have started slowly (2 wins from 4 matches). That clash takes place on the second matchday on Oct. 3 in Naples. This Sunday is the Madrid derby. A visit to surprising fourth-placed Liga side Girona on Sept. 30. The clash with Barcelona is on Oct. 28.
Real have a flawless start to the season, which along with the victory at Bilbao give them the edge over their Catalan rivals. Jude Bellingham is obviously a key acquisition who has so far even exceeded the expectations of his $100 million price tag. More importantly he has filled the Karim Benzema-sized hole in Real’s attack. Carlo Ancelotti could be the right man for this job. The next couple of weeks should provide an interesting early test of just what Real are capable of this year.
2. Inter Milan
Record: 4-0-0
Key wins/losses: Trounced AC Milan 5-1 this weekend.
Continental: UCL group with Benfica, Real Sociedad, and RB Salzburg. Degree of difficulty: 6/10. While no real stalwarts of European football are to be found here, each of these clubs with the possible exception of Salzburg could beat Inter on their day
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: The Champs League campaign kicks off with a tricky visit to San Sebastian on Wednesday. Real Sociedad haven’t exactly set the world on fire so far (1 win, 4 draws, 1 loss), though they did test Real Madrid a bit yesterday. In Serie A action things are pretty quiet until a visit to Juventus on Nov. 26. A trip to Napoli looms the following week, Dec. 3.
Inter are unbeaten, untied, and did not concede a goal until this weekend when they beat up on their crosstown rivals. To be fair, the final scoreline probably flattered Inter a bit as two goals came when the game was already decided. Still, it was quite a way to pass their first true test of the season. Simone Inzaghi’s men appear to be in mid-season form already. We expect then to feature in this ranking all season long.
1. Manchester City
Record: 5-0-0 (we aren’t counting Community Shield or the UEFA Super Cup, which are glorified friendlies)
Key wins/losses: None yet
Continental: RB Leipzig, Crvena Zvezda, and Young Boys Berne provide cannon fodder in the Champions League group stage.
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: The continental campaign kicks off with a home match versus the team formerly (and perhaps still?) known as Red Star Belgrade. A visit to the Marakana ground is always a tough test, and should provide the only real possibility of any dropped points in this group. But that isn’t until the final matchday, at which point everything should be long settled and Pep Guardiola can play subs. In Premiership action, City visit Arsenal on Oct. 8. They later host Liverpool on Nov. 25 and Tottenham the following weekend. Their next EFL Cup fixture, at Newcastle on Sept. 27, could be interesting as well.
Man City as the top club in the world should surprise absolutely nobody, and not just because the last iteration of this ranking found them in the same spot. A year after winning the treble they appear just as hungry for more accolades. The offseason acquisitions have added depth and quality, more than making up for the losses of Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan: Josko Gvardiol is emerging as one of the best centerbacks in the game and making nobody really miss the injured John Stones. Jeremy Doku’s qualities were on display yesterday against West Ham when the young Belgian scored the equalizer in just his second start. Mateo Kovacic adds stability to the defensive midfield, freeing up the likes of Julian Alvarez, Rodri, and Phil Foden to provide creativity — a welcome development with Kevin De Bruyne injured. Pep Guardiola’s men have yet to be really tested. West Ham put up a bit of a fight yesterday but inevitably succumbed to the quality of Erling Haaland & Co. Top teams will sometimes fall behind a goal as City did yesterday, perhaps as a way to motivate themselves. Hey, whatever works. As mentioned above, it may be some time before this team is truly tested, though a visit to Newcastle for an EFL Cup tie next Wednesday could be interesting.