Top 10 Team Power Rankings (Week 5/1/18)

Another week of world football has passed and the WFC Power rankings are back to devise what teams are currently the hottest property on the planet. There has been a host of changes to the top 10 this week with the varying schedule across leagues around the world, where some are seeing a down patch in the amount of games being played, while others are seeing business pick up, with a round of fixtures being played every day or two.

So onto the Top 10 for the past week - this is how it stands:

The top 3 change for the first time since the Power rankings inception. Manchester City stay in 1st position after another reasonably straight forward week, but Juventus sneak into second position ahead of the likes of Barcelona and PSG after a scintillating run of form that saw them beat both Hellas Verona (3-1) and Torino (2-0) in the past week comfortably in the league and the Coppa Italia respectively. This output betters both Barcelona who could only manage a 1-1 draw in the Copa Del Rey against Celta Vigo and PSG, who didn't have a fixture. 

The Back half of the Top 10 is where things get interesting this week with two new additions in the form of Leicester in 8th and Atletico Madrid in 10th. 

Leicester enter the Top 10 in a strong position after continuing the success they have seen as of late. On the back of an inspired run of Riyad Mahrez form, Leicester managed to clinically destroy Huddersfield (3-0) on their way to becoming outright 8th in the Premier League, where a Europa League spot looks very possible for the Foxes. Solid at the back and blistering going forward makes Leicester and attractive team to watch. However, they get pipped to 7th spot in the rankings by Liverpool who beat them 2-1 at Anfield earlier in the week. Liverpool's form has stuck steady, and with the introduction of Virgil Van Dijk to the mix at the back, The Reds could become a mainstay in the Top 10.

The other new entrant into the list is Atletico Madrid, who steal the position of cross-town rivals Real Madrid from last week. Despite both Madrid clubs winning in the Copa Del Rey, it was Atletico that looked the more impressive, albeit with a weakened starting 11. The clinical 4-0 scoreline they produced saw goals come from multiple areas with Diego Godin, Fernando Torres, a returning Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann all hitting the back of the net, whereas Real Madrid had to rely on two penalty calls and conversions along with a Borja Mayoral goal to win, where 2 of the goals came after the 89th minute.

For Chelsea and FC Porto, they switch positions in the Top 10 after both continuing there unbeaten runs. FC Porto have put a hold on 1st position in their domestic league after defeating Feirense 2-1, where they dominated the ball (70% possession) and were strong and effective at creating scoring chances down the flanks, up the middle and through individual excellence. As for Chelsea, they obliterated a hapless Stoke 5-0 but couldn't continue their form against Arsenal (2-2) in their second game of the week, where Arsenal were the better side for most of the game and Alvaro Morata had a shocker in front of goal. This draw saw The Blues relinquish second spot in the EPL and thus in turn slipping down the rankings.

Stay tuned for next weeks Top 10, where the return of many competitions could shake up the list once again .

By Luke Scali - Twitter @WFC_LS_Potzi