Can any club make a convincing case for the top spot?

Who's looking out for No. 1? A better question is who wants to be No. 1. After this week's Champions League action, the Rankings have been thrown into disarray.

With Inter Milan's struggles, the time seems ripe for another club to pounce. But as SI.com's Gabriele Marcotti wrote last week, not one European club has shown any kind of consistency. The same is true in Latin America, as the dominating teams of the Copa Libertadores haven't found their form yet in their own leagues -- and vice versa.

And so, as the only club still alive in the Champions League that is also in first place in Europe's Big Four leagues, it is with some reluctance that we give Manchester United the top spot for the first time ever.

Not to take anything away from the Red Devils -- who are into the quarterfinals for the first time in four years and have been at the summit of the English Premier League for months -- but no club has shown form consistent enough to suggest it can ride out the No. 1 ranking until the end. Yet.

Note: All rankings, records and statistics are through March 7.

World Soccer Power Rankings Rank Prev. Team 1 2 Manchester United Say this for Henrik Larsson: Dude knows how to make an exit. That's two straight swan songs the Swedish veteran has capped off by making immediate impacts for his struggling teams. (Remember last year's Champions League final in Paris?) But with Larsson gone, excuse Wayne Rooney if he's having déjà vu: He's the only healthy striker with experience left on the roster, a grim reminder of England's World Cup debacle. 2 4 Valencia That postgame brawl with Inter was pretty shameful, because it overshadowed a pretty solid performance by Valencia in neutralizing a good opponent to reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in four seasons. David Navarro didn't do himself any favors when he socked Nicolás Burdisso flat in the naríz (check out the hometown defender dodge Inter players like a streaker bobbing and weaving through stadium security). That leaves Los Che as the lone Spanish representatives in the competition. Anyone else fiending for a war with No. 9 Liverpool and ex-Valencia manager Rafa Benítez? 3 5 Chelsea Unbelievable. Once again, Chelski underperforms but gets the goals when it needs them. We lauded Arjen Robben last time around, but even he'll admit his goal against Porto on Tuesday was about as lucky as it gets. (To be fair, Michael Ballack's winner was a gem -- as in, oh right, that guy in the middle is Michael Ballack.) While it's killing me to say so (as I did back in November, tail between legs), I still think this could be Chelsea's year to finally win the European Cup. I have yet to see this team clicking on all cylinders, and I'm terrified of what that might look like if and when it happens. Then again, it might not, and the Special One could still be hoisting the big-eared trophy for a second time come May. 4 6 AS Roma How about Alessandro Mancini for goal of the tournament? That wasn't one, two or three, but five stopovers the Brazilian put on Anthony Réveillère before burying Roma's second goal against Lyon on Tuesday. (Check it out -- it's ridiculous). Credit also should go to Doni, who was excellent in net. This is the furthest the Giallorossi have come to sniffing the European Cup since their runner-up finish in '83-84, and they've got a lock on second in Serie A. 5 1 Inter Milan I think, perhaps, we all saw this coming. Cracks had begun to show in the Inter armor when the team was up against first-rate competition, and it fell flat against Valencia. The Nerazzuri truly can't win -- when they likely cruise to their first outright Scudetto in 18 years in May, critics will politely remind everyone that AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio started the season with points penalties while Juventus is toiling in Serie B. Pity Ronaldo, who will get an earful from the doubly frustrated Inter faithful when the ex-Inter striker makes his first Milan appearance as part of the "away" side in Sunday's San Siro derby. 6 3 Olympique Lyon Lyon's whimper out of the Champions League is truly a crusher. It has consistently been the only French club even close to sniffing these Rankings, as it's been here since September '05. Now, Les Gones' elimination by No. 4 Roma not only suggests the runaway French leaders still can't hang with the big boys, it further cements Ligue 1's status as a second-tier league. "A lot of French teams would like to be in our situation," said sheepish coach Gérard Houllier. Which is much like saying a lot of processed cheeses wish they were Kraft Singles. 7 10 Sevilla Bottle rockets aside, can we justify leapfrogging Sevilla up three places based mostly one match? We sure can, if that game a thrilling comeback victory over Barcelona while down a man, returning the rebounding Rojiblancos to the top of the standings in Spain. Overlooked fact: That's two home games in a row in which platoon striker Alexander Kerzhakov has scored. If he's not careful, he'll become the first Russian cult hero at the Sánchez Pizjuán since Rinat Dasaev patrolled the nets for Sevilla in the early '90s. 8 9 São Paulo Funny what a little home cooking will do when you can't get it together on the road. The Tricolor logged its first 'W' of the Copa Libertadores with a 4-0 obliteration of Alianza Lima at the Morumbí on Feb. 28 in a match where everything was rolling -- even 33-year-old veteran defender Júnior got on the scoring sheet. Still undefeated in '07, São Paulo now gets a little break from Libertadores play until March 21, when it visits Necaxa for a top-of-the-group showdown. 9 -- Liverpool A promise is a promise, and the 'Pudlians are back on our radar. I love how soccer works -- you can drop two in a row, as Liverpool did to Man Utd and then Barcelona, and everyone marvels at your dynamite week. Speaking of which, what's up with John Arne Riise's sudden burst of aggressiveness? Did getting whacked in the legs with a golf club give him super powers? I seem to recall something like this in a bad baseball movie. 10 -- PSV Eindhoven It's not often you get to atone for your own mistake, but Alex was PSV's hero on Wednesday as the defending Dutch champs are surprising European competition yet again. The Tank's header in the 83rd minute was textbook, and you won't hear a peep out of PSV fans about his own goal earlier in the match. Arsenal played far better, but the Eindhovians picked their spots. Circle PSV as both the "weakest" side left in the draw, and the "be careful what you wish for" opponent. Honorable mentions: FC Porto, Celtic, Santos, River Plate, Bayern Munich, Lens Dropped off: FC Barcelona, Celtic