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We have already entered the month of February and the bars of excitement are only meant to go higher as season 2018/19 nears its climax. Talking of the big five leagues in Europe, everything at the top of the table remains pretty much unchanged, except Liverpool beating Man City to the top spot in the Premier League.
All the clubs except those from Germany had a pretty hectic schedule to follow in the last month. Their performances in January have certainly affected in shaping the way their entire season is leading to at the moment.
On that note, let's have a look at the latest Power Rankings of the clubs from the top 5 leagues in Europe.
#10 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich had nothing challenging to do in the last month with only 2 games on their fixture list. Yet, the Bavarians failed to maintain a 100% record, winning and losing a game each.
Niko Kovac's men are currently 7 points behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and it will be interesting to see if they succeed in catching up their arch-rivals as the season progresses towards the climax.
In February, Bayern will face Hertha BSC in the DfB Pokal, then again Hertha, Augsburg and Monchengladbach in the league. However, the fans will be feasting their eyes on Bayern's highly-awaited clash against Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16.
#9 Real Madrid
Santiago Solari is finally starting to find his feet at Real Madrid. He has safely guided Los Blancos to the third place in the LaLiga, ensuring a UEFA Champions League qualification for the next season.
In January, Real Madrid played 8 games, winning 5, losing 2 and drawing 1 the process. They found the net 19 times and conceded 8 goals.
Madrid's biggest challenge in February will arguably be the Copa Del Rey semi-final clash against Barcelona. They will face Ajax in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 and Atletico Madrid, Levante and Girona in the league.
The Copa Del Rey is the silverware they are closest to winning this season and it will be interesting to see if Los Blancos can manage to stifle the threat of Barcelona with Lionel Messi present in the squad this time.
#8 Chelsea
Maurizio Sarri is currently under pressure following The Blues' recent slump. Chelsea have lost their way after starting the season as title contenders.
Sarri's men are currently placed 4th in the table, 2 points ahead of Manchester United. They won 5, lost 2 and drew 1 in the 8 games they played in January. They rattled the net 17 times and conceded 7 goals last month.
February will be a crucial month for Sarri and co as Chelsea look to retain their position in the league table. They will face Manchester City and Tottenham in the Premier League. Then again, they will lock horns against City in the EFL Cup final.
Maurizio Sarri might as well find himself facing the axe if Chelsea fail to make it to the Champions League for the second time in a row.
#7 Borussia Dortmund
With the consistency Borussia Dortmund have displayed in the Bundesliga this season, it looks like they will finally break Bayern Munich's stranglehold in the German top tier.
BVB had only 2 games to play in January, those which never posed any significant competition to their title hopes. That is why they are placed on a lower position on this list.
Borussia Dortmund scored 6 goals and conceded only 1 last month. Their fantastic goal-scoring exploits in the league are down to Paco Alcacer, who has been in red-hot form this season.
They have entered February brimming with confidence, as they look forward to their UCL clash against Tottenham. They will face Hoffenheim, Nuremberg and Bayer Leverkusen in the league. Lucien Favre's men will also lock horns against Werder Bremen in the third round of the DFB Pokal.
#6 Manchester United
With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment as interim boss, everything is starting to fall into place at Manchester United. The Norwegian has worked wonders in just over a month, guiding the Red Devils to 9 wins and 1 draw in his first 10 games in charge.
United played 6 games last month, winning 5 and drawing 1 in the process. They scored 12 goals and conceded 4 goals. But, is it really about numbers for them at the moment?
What's more important is the fact that the likes of Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have all found their form.
United will now face PSG with confidence in the UCL; the absence of Neymar will also be a positive for them in the fixture. Following the clash, they will face Liverpool and Chelsea in succession in the Premier League and the FA Cup respectively.
The Red Devils will play Crystal Palace and Fulham in the league this month and each game is supposedly a final for Ole, who will look to land the permanent job at his beloved club.
#5 Liverpool
Liverpool may be leading the toughest league table in the whole wide world, but they were rather disappointing in January. The Merseysiders only had 5 games to play but failed to keep a 100% record. They won 2, lost 2 and drew 1. They also crashed out of the FA Cup last month.
Jurgen Klopp's men scored only 10 and conceded 6 in the entire process. Judging by their January performances, they are rather lucky to be holding on to the first place with a comfortable 5-point lead.
Following their win against West Ham, the Reds will face Bournemouth and Watford in the Premier League. However, they will also come up against Bayern Munich in the UCL Round of 16 followed by a league clash against fierce rivals Manchester United.
February will definitely be the make-or-break month for Klopp and co as they take steps towards their first Premier League title.
#4 Juventus
Juventus are the only Serie A team to feature on this list. The Bianconeri are sitting untroubled at the top with a 9-point lead over second-placed Napoli.
Massimiliano Allegri's men had a bitter-sweet January. They played 5 games and won 4 of them, but the only loss saw them crash out of the Coppa Italia. On the positive side, they beat AC Milan to clinch the Supercopa Italiana title.
Juventus scored only 8 goals and conceded 4, which is why they have lost out on a better position on this list.
Juve's UCL clash against Atletico Madrid will be the highlight of February as they look to launch a bid for winning the European title with Cristiano Ronaldo by their side. They will face Sassuolo, Frosinone and Bologna in the Serie A, which hardly seems to be a challenge for them.
#3 Paris Saint Germain
January was bitter-sweet for Paris Saint Germain; though they comfortably continued their unbeaten run in the Ligue 1, Les Parisiens were shown the exit door in the Coupe de la Ligue by Guingamp. They notched an impressive tally of 20 goals in 6 games and conceded only 3 in the process. They won 5 and lost 1 in 6 games last month.
PSG's hopes of finishing the league unbeaten were shattered as Lyon beat them 2-1. But, they hardly have the time to cry over spilt milk.
Thomas Tuchel and co will face Manchester United in the UCL. Both the clashes against the Red Devils stand as challenges for the French outfit, as they will be without their talisman Neymar. However, they can still bank on Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe to edge past the in-form United.
PSG will face Villefranche in the French Cup, followed by games against Bordeaux, St. Ettiene, Montpellier and Nimes.
#2 Barcelona
As far as the competition for the LaLiga title is concerned, Barcelona hardly have anything to worry about. The Catalans are leading the league table with a 6-point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona had a hectic fixture list for January; They won 6 and lost 2 out of the total 8 games they played last month. In the process, they scored 20 goals and conceded 7, leading to a goal difference of 14. Once again, Argentine maestro Lionel Messi has been at his imperious best, making a mammoth contribution to the Blaugrana's exploits this season.
Barcelona's Copa Del Rey semi-final clashes against Real Madrid are the highlight of February. They will also face Lyon in their first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla and Real Valladolid are their league fixtures for the month.
#1 Manchester City
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are arguably the finest football team on earth at the moment. They may be trailing Liverpool by 5 points, but their run of games in January show that the Cityzens haven't yet given up on their title hopes and still mean serious business.
City were hardly spared rest after playing 9 games in December, as they faced 8 more in January. But, the hectic schedule did little to shatter their spirits, as they emerged unscathed with 7 wins and 1 loss in the new year. They amassed a whopping 31 goals and conceded only 3 in the entire process.
Following a 3-1 win over Arsenal at the beginning of February, Pep Guardiola and co will now face Everton, Chelsea and West Ham in the league. Then, they have a Round of 16 clash against Schalke 04 and a 5th round clash in the FA Cup, followed by the EFL Cup final against Chelsea.
All Stats Courtesy: Whoscored.com
