I'm not sure I've ever been more distracted from the club calendar. My Giants jersey is still airing out from one of the more nerve-wracking experiences I've ever had as a fan last Sunday. Next to it, my U.S. national-team jersey, which I wish needed more airing out after Team USA's less-than-sweat-worthy 2-2 draw with Mexico on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, I've been trading umpteen million text messages with SI.com's Greg Lalas, who I may never forgive for leaving me behind while he's on assignment in Ghana at the African Cup of Nations.
Between all that, there actually has been some club action worth riffing on. We'll keep it short this week. But take a deep breath: The Cup of Nations final is this weekend, and it should be a classic. Then the Copa Libertadores kicks off next week, followed by the UEFA Champions League resuming on Feb. 19. Let's get it on!
Note: All rankings, records and statistics are through Feb. 6.
| World Soccer Power Rankings |
| 1 |
1 |
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Inter Milan
Still unbeaten in Serie A, the (Latino) Italians are still tops in the world, though their run almost came to a crashing end last weekend at home to bottom-dwelling Empoli. An iffy penalty call and a brilliant performance by keeper Júlio César were the only things keeping 10-man Inter from one of the biggest shockers in Europe this season as the Nerazzurri escaped with a 1-0 win.
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| 2 |
4 |
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Arsenal
It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the Gunners, who were embarrassed by archrival Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup. But they're back in first in the English Premier League, leapfrogging Man. Utd yet again thanks to the goal-scoring heroics of Emmanuel Adebayor -- currently the world's biggest African star not off at the Cup of Nations.
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| 3 |
3 |
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Real Madrid
Again -- again! -- Real misses a chance to climb in the rankings. Its gutty comeback win against Villarreal was impressive, but it was completely overshadowed last weekend, when middling Almería (promoted to the first division for the first time this season) pounded the Spanish frontrunners. Real couldn't find the net in a 2-0 loss, and suddenly finds its mountainous lead in La Liga down to a precarious six points.
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| 4 |
2 |
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Manchester United
Manyoo takes another tumble from the top of the table after 1-1 draw last weekend with a suddenly born-again Spurs. But we all know the real story at Old Trafford these days: Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese ace has nine goals in his last six matches, scoring in every which way -- left foot, right foot, header, chip shot, free kick, penalty kick. No wonder his goal celebrations are dripping with egotism. I'm ready to say, without hesitation, Ronaldo's one of the top three players in the world.
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| 5 |
5 |
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FC Barcelona
Barça may be undefeated through 10 matches in 2008, but its brilliance has come in patches, bookended by longer stretches of ineptitude. This so-called offensive juggernaut has scored four goals in its last six games -- not exactly the stuff that's supposed to light up La Liga. You know things aren't quite right when Lionel Messi flubs a penalty kick and you need Xavi to score a game-winning goal.
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| 6 |
7 |
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FC Porto
This is how Porto's charmed season is going: The Dragons lost their first game of '08 to Sporting Lisbon, but their lead is now 10 points in the Portuguese Liga thanks to their 4-0 romp of União Leiria last weekend and second-place Benfica drawing yet again. This is a gutty squad that has the potential to make some waves in the latter stages Champions League -- a Gonzaga of European soccer, if you will.
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| 7 |
8 |
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Chelsea
Yes, Portsmouth outplayed the Blues in last weekend's 1-1 draw and denied them a 10th straight victory in all competitions. But let's keep things in perspective here. This club was in shambles a few months ago, culminating with José Mourinho's departure. Chelsea now hasn't lost in 13 straight matches (11 wins and two draws) and lurks only six points off the pace in the Premiership.
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| 8 |
6 |
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AS Roma
What an awful time to lose your first game since October. We may have seen the Giallorossi's Serie A title challenge officially go up in smoke last weekend at Siena, where the Tuscan club ran them off the pitch in a 3-0 romp. On a day the Romans basically had to win to make any kind of dent in Inter's almost insurmountable lead, they fell flat on their face. "We had an off day," admitted manager Luciano Spalletti. "We didn't get anything right ... It's a shame because Inter have gotten away from us again."
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| 9 |
9 |
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São Paulo
Manager Muricy Ramalho inked a new deal that will keep him in charge through next season, but you never know in the Brazilian league, where coaches have short life spans. São Paulo hasn't exactly impressed in the early goings of the Paulista State Championship, but the team may be looking ahead to a relatively easy draw in the Libertadores: The Tricolor Paulista open on Feb. 27 at Colombia's Atlético Nacional.
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| 10 |
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Bayern Munich
They're not the scoring behemoths they were at the beginning of the season, but the Bundesliga leaders opened the second half on a high, whipping third-divison Wuppertaler in the German Cup and scoring a solid win at Hansa Rostock in league play. It's hard to picture Bayern toiling in semi-obscurity much longer -- with Jürgen Klinsmann aboard as manager next season, sure to be the club's return to Champions League, we may see the Bayern of old.
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Honorable mentions: Celtic, Fenerbahçe, Olympiakos, Rangers, Chivas de Guadalajara
Dropped off: Villarreal
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