The World's Top 5 Soccer Clubs: October 2023
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 October 7 and 8.
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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).
First, Liverpool. Reds were fifth in our last ranking, but didn’t make it this week.
Other teams in rough order of consideration are AC Milan, Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, 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: Napoli, Brighton & Hove Albion, Porto, Benfica, Monaco, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, Valencia, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen, Olympique Marseille, Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague, Atalanta, and yes Tottenham Hotspur.
5. (Last Week: Honorable Mention) Arsenal
Record: 8-2-1 (eight wins, two draws, one loss)
Key wins: Man City (home) on Oct. 8
Domestic: Tied for first in the Premier League, equal on points (and goal difference) with Tottenham Hotspur.
Continental: Arsenal’s lone loss of the season came in a 2-1 defeat at Lens. They previously dispatched PSV Eindhoven with ease (4-0). Sevilla make up the fourth team in the group. How Gunners fare versus the Spanish side will likely determine their chances of advancing to the elimination round.
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: It’s going to be a tough week when club play resumes after the international break. Arsenal host Chelsea (winners of three straight) on Oct. 21 and then travel to Sevilla at midweek. A visit to St. James Park is Nov. 4.
Gunners make their first appearance of the season in the Top 5, thanks in large part to their 1-0 defeat of Man City last weekend. Arsenal’s performance itself was not particularly impressive, but a win against the top-ranked team in the world (at the time) has to count for something. Plus they did it without Bakayo Saka. Still: Mikel Arteta’s men have frankly not looked as good as they did in their title challenging campaign last year. Dropping points at home to their North London rivals was bad enough. The loss at Lens came on some sloppy play from David Raya. Should he really be the first-choice goalkeeper? Kai Havertz has been kinda blah. Declan Rice, the other midfield acquisition this summer, has been more impressive, perhaps at the expense of Martin Odegaard who hasn’t always looked as formidable as he did last season. Arsenal deserve the fifth spot our ranking, but it may be difficult for them to move up much.
4. (2) Inter Milan
Record: 7-2-1
Key wins/losses: Trounced AC Milan 5-1 on Sept. 16. Beat up on Fiorentina, 4-0 on Sept. 3.
Domestic: Second place in Serie A, two points behind AC Milan
Continental: Drew 1-1 at Real Sociedad in their Champions League curtain-raiser and prevailed against Benfica 1-0 at home in the second matchday. The other team in the group is Red Bull Salzburg. Should be easy.
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: A visit to Atalanta on Nov. 4. Play at Juventus on Nov. 26. A trip to Napoli looms the following week, Dec. 3.
Inter stumbled last weekend, managing just a 2-2 draw at home against mid-table Bologna. The nerazzurri started the match well, jumping off to a 2-0 lead within 15 minutes, before the visitors got a soft penalty and a lucky equalizer. The greater offense to the ranking committee was Inter’s one loss on the season, a 2-1 home defeat to Sassuolo. There are several question marks around this team, especially in midfield. Like, how is Ross from Friends still a starter at this level? Alexis Sanchez is also getting regular minutes. But for now we will call them the fourth-best club in the world.
3. (3) Real Madrid
Record: 10-0-1
Key wins: At Athletic Bilbao (2-0, Aug. 12), at Girona (3-0, Sept. 30), at Napoli (3-2, Oct. 3)
Key loss: At Atletico Madrid (3-1, Sept. 24)
Domestic: First place in La Liga, with two-point advantage over Girona, three over Barcelona.
Continental: Real’s Champions League group includes Union Berlin, Braga, and Napoli. Six points from two games so far, as expected.
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: The clash with Barcelona is on Oct. 28, at Barca. Host Napoli on Nov. 29.
Real have had a solid start to the season, with the loss at Atletico the lone blemish. Recent performances have been more impressive, including the 3-2 win at Napoli last week. With that los blancos have the toughest Champions League game out of the way along with a comfortable lead in their group. The match at Barcelona will arguably be the harder test however…
2. (1) Manchester City
Record: 8-0-3
Key wins/losses: Lost at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, lost at Arsenal on Oct. 8.
Continental: RB Leipzig, Crvena Zvezda, and Young Boys Berne provide cannon fodder in the Champions League group stage.
Domestic: Third in the Premiership, two points behind the leaders
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: Host Liverpool on Nov. 25 and Tottenham the following weekend.
Man City have now lost three of their last four games, which is enough to drop them a spot in the ranking. The loss at Arsenal last weekend was a bit unlucky but City did not play particularly well outside of maybe the first 20 minutes. The loss at Wolves a week prior can also be described as unlucky as City conceded an own goal and Wolves should have had a player sent off early. Still, this is a bad run of form from Pep Guardiola’s men. At their best, we still don’t see how anybody can beat them. But for now we have them second in our ranking.
1. (4) Barcelona
Record: (8-3-0)
Key Wins/Losses: None yet
Domestic: Third in La Liga, one point behind Girona and three behind Real Madrid.
Continental: Barca had no problems at all brushing off Royal Antwerp in their Champions League curtain-raiser, beating the Belgian side 5-0. They had a tougher time of it at Porto last week, but ultimately prevailed 1-0.
Upcoming Fixtures of Interest: The league clash with Real Madrid is Oct. 28.
Barca get the top nod on the fact that they are the only unbeaten team left among contenders (sorry, fellow Spurs fans). This despite the fact that Xavi’s men have admittedly not always looked like the best team in the world. In fact, they aren’t even first in Spain! On top of that, Barca have drawn two of their last three La Liga matches. And now Raphinha has gone down injured and will likely miss extended time. Fermin Lopez has looked decent in the Brazilian’s stead and Xavi has numerous other options as well. One likely result is more playing time for 16-year old wonderkid Lamine Yamal. Indeed, Yamal found the scoresheet last weekend, his first goal at this level. We weren’t expecting to have Barca this high this soon, but stumbles by other teams in the top 5 leave us with no other option. For now…