WCR Top 25 - August 15, 2023

Our first full week of full action in European football provided a lot of excitement if not a lot of surprises.  The biggest match in terms of its effect on the rankings this week turned out to be the German Super Cup, where RB Leipzig crushed Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena by a 3-0 score to hand Harry Kane yet another cup disappointment in his illustrious, cup-deficient career.  Bayern did not move down the rankings, though they lost some point, but the victory did propel RB Leipzig into the Top Ten for the first time since this website began.

The other match that had a significant impact on our weekly rankings was Newcastle United’s 5-1 pouncing of Aston Villa, with four of the Magpies’ goals being scored by players signed in the past year.  Newcastle moved up a spot over Porto as a result, while Aston Villa fell completely out of the WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World.  Taking their position in the rankings is RB Salzburg, who have already collected three wins in three Austrian Bundesliga matches by a combined score of 7-0.

With Salzburg’s ascension, we are now back to having nine different nations represented in our rankings.  City remains in the top spot and their match at home against Newcastle United should prove to be must-watch television.  Check out our YouTube video below for even more information about the Top 25 Clubs.

All of the rankings are below.  If you don’t like the list, please feel free to check out our methodology page, which includes links to all of the source data we are using. 

1.  Manchester City (Eng) (100 pts) (4 first place votes) (LW 1) - Erling Haaland didn’t waste any time beginning his defense of the English Premier League’s golden boot, scoring a goal in the fourth minute and another one about a half-hour later to help Manchester City open its title defense run with a 3-0 victory at newly promoted Burnley.  City should face a pair of tougher tests this week, taking on Europa League champions Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup in Piraeus, Greece on Wednesday night before rushing home to host Newcastle United in their Premier League home season debut on Saturday night.

2.  Bayern Munich (Ger) (93 pts) (LW 2) - Bayern looked like a club that was in dire need of Harry Kane in their 0-3 loss to RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena in the German Super Cup.  What’s that?  They had Harry Kane?  Oh, well I hope he can get into the Bayern groove quickly because the offense needs him.  In Bundesliga action, Bayern will travel to take on Werder Bremen on Friday in the season opener for the league.

3.  Liverpool (Eng) (90 pts) (LW 3) - Liverpool looked good early and it appeared they would roll to victory, but after Chelsea fought back to tie the match, both clubs seemed to pull off the gas pedal a little bit and settle for the ultimate 1-1 draw that was the final result.  The Reds will return to action on Saturday when they host Bournemouth in their home opener.

4. Real Madrid (Esp) (89 pts) (LW 4) -Jude Bellingham had a moment to remember in his La Liga debut scoring his first goal for Real Madrid in a little rainbow shot that allowed Los Blancos to cruise to a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on opening night.  Real Madrid will remain on the road next week, taking on Almería in a Saturday night matchup.

5. Arsenal (Eng) (81 points) (LW 6) - Arsenal looked better in the first half than they did in the second, but they scored two in the good half and only gave up one in the bad half, so they have to be satisfied with a 2-1 home victory over Nottingham Forest.  They are now off until next Monday night when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

6.  Inter Milan (Ita) (76 pts) (LW 5) - Inter finished its friendly schedule over the past weekend and is now ready to start the Serie A season.  First up will be a home match against Monza at the San Siro on Saturday night.

7.   Napoli (Ita) (74 pts) (LW 7) - Like Manchester City last weekend, Napoli will begin their domestic title defense away against a recently promoted club.  Frosinone will host Napoli in their first Serie A match since 2019 in only their third ever Serie A season.

8. Barcelona (Esp) (65 points) (LW 8) - Barcelona has to be disappointed at starting off the season with a 0-0 draw at Getafe, a club they were heavily favored to defeat.  Barca will be expecting a victory this weekend as well at home against Cadiz.  We’ll see if they fare any better this time. 

9.  Manchester United (Eng) (63 pts) (LW 9) - It wasn’t the prettiest match in the world, but United escaped with three points at home with a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton in their Premier League opener.  Their next match will take place at Old Trafford on Saturday when Tottenham pays a visit in what should be one of the top matches of the weekend in the Premier League.

10.  - RB Leipzig (Ger) (63 pts) (LW 12) - Leipzig looked like a team that could end Bayern’s 11-year run on top of the Bundesliga in defeating the German powerhouse 3-0 in the German Super Cup.  The quest to become the new king of German football will begin on Saturday for RB Leipzig when they face Bayer Leverkusen in a tough away match.

11.  Atlético Madrid (Esp) (60 pts) (LW 11)

12.  Borussia Dortmund (Ger) (59 pts) (LW 10)

13.  Newcastle United (Eng) (56 pts)  (LW 14)

14. Porto (Por) (54 pts) (LW 13)

15.  Benfica (Por) (41 pts) (LW 16)

16.  Paris St. Germain (Fra) (36 pts) (LW 15)

17.  AC Milan (Ita) (34 pts) (LW 17)

18.  Brighton (Eng) (24 pts) (LW 19)

19.  Palmeiras (Bra) (22 pts) (LW 18)

20. Real Sociedad (Esp) (19 pts) (LW 20)

21.  Brentford (Eng) (17 pts) (LW 23)

22. Juventus (Ita) (16 pts) (LW 21)

23. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) (13 pts) (LW 24)

24. Chelsea (Eng) (11 pts) (LW 25)

25.  RB Salzburg (Aut) (11 pts) (LW NR)

Also receiving points: PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (10), Lazio (Ita) (10), Aston Villa (Eng) (9), Sporting CP (Por) (6), Roma (Ita) (3), Feyenoord (Ned) (3), Sevilla (Esp) (3), Lens (Fra) (1).