The only thing in football more contentious than a dubious refereeing decision is a rankings system.
We’re going to add our twist to the list. Each week we pick out the 10 best teams from Europe’s top-five leagues (minus cup competitions).
It’s not cumulative, the rankings is based on a team’s performance in that particular game week.
So, who makes the top-10 this week? Check it out below:
1) Juventus (beat Napoli 2-1)
Juventus, virtually, wrapped up an eighth-successive Serie A crown with a turbulent 2-1 win at second-placed Napoli that contained a red card apiece and late missed penalty for the hosts. A 16-point lead is now theirs.
The victory also ended an unbeaten home run that stretched back exactly a year until March 3, 2018.
2) Bayern Munich (beat Borussia Monchengladbach 5-1)
Buoyed by long-term leaders Borussia Dortmund’s shock 2-1 loss at Augsburg on Friday, more on that later, Bayern Munich dismantled, then, third-placed Borussia Monchengladbach 5-1 to go level on 54 points.
The champions were nine points in arrears just nine rounds ago. Bayern also became the first team to score 4,000 Bundesliga goals.
3) Lazio (beat Roma 3-0)
A surprisingly one-sided contest in the Eternal City saw Lazio smash Roma 3-0.
This was only the second time that the Biancocelesti had recorded a three-goal winning margin in the Derby della Capitale’s 90-year history, plus it ended the vanquished’s eight-match unbeaten run in Serie A. It’s getting tight in the race for the top four.
4) Augsburg (beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1)
BVB continue to stumble towards the Bundesliga’s finishing line after they incurred a damaging 2-1 loss at Augsburg.
South Korea’s Ji Dong-won scored both goals to inflict a first league defeat since December on his former employers. This ended Augsburg’s three-match losing run and kept them out of the relegation play-off spot.
5) Getafe (beat Real Betis 2-1)
Head coach Jose Bordalas would have taken multitudes of joy out of Getafe’s 2-1 win against Real Betis.
The result kept his Madrid minnows on course for remarkable Champions League qualification. It also saw Bordalas strike a hammer blow to Quique Setien’s job prospects – animus caused by contrasting styles stretches back to 2013.
6) Stuttgart (beat Hannover 5-1)
In the relegation dog fight with Hannover, Stuttgart roared to a 5-1 victory.
This result followed a debilitating run of two points from eight matches and also saw a star emerge in Turkey youth centre-back Ozan Kabak. In Bundesliga history, only Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson were younger when they got braces.
7) Cagliari (beat Inter Milan 2-1)
Cagliari eased worries of the drop and increased the pressure at Inter Milan with Friday’s impressive 2-1 victory.
Leonardo Pavoletti’s 43rd-minute strike proved the difference, ending the Nerazzurri’s three-match winning streak in Sardinia. A healthy nine-point gap to 18th-placed Bologna is ample reward for Cagliari’s efforts at Sardegna Arena.
8) Barcelona (beat Real Madrid 1-0)
Victory at Santiago Bernabeu would usually earn top ranking in our team of the week.
Barcelona, however, have made results like Saturday’s 1-0 triumph seem de rigueur. They became the first away club ever to win four La Liga matches in a row at Real Madrid, plus now lead the head-to-head for the first time in 87 years.
9) Fortuna Dusseldorf (beat Schalke 4-0)
Dusseldorf heaped more misery on Domenico Tedesco’s sorry Schalke with a 4-0 thrashing.
Striker Dawid Kownacki got a double to seal a second-successive win for the promoted side. They’ve now emerged victorious from seven of their last 10 Bundesliga matches, racing clear of the relegation places.
10) Brighton & Hove Albion (beat Huddersfield Town 1-0)
Brighton’s long wait for a first top-flight win in 2019 is over – at the eighth time of asking.
Substitute Florin Andone’s superb header ended this dire run, that had included taking just two points from 21 available. A five-point gap to the drop zone provides welcome breathing space.