Top 25

From now on, every two weeks I will put out a Top 25 of the teams in Europe, with a few comments on the movements in the rankings and particular squads' recent activity. These are subjective rankings, because I don't have a computed way of ranking the clubs. I've done my best to evaluate the squads based on their relative strength domestically and in Europe. Here is the Top 25 for January 24:

1) FC Barcelona (ESP)
2) Real Madrid CF (ESP)
3) Manchester City FC (ENG)
4) FC Bayern Munich (GER)
5) Manchester United FC (ENG)
6) AC Milan (ITA)
7) Chelsea FC (ENG)
8) Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG)
9) Juventus FC (ITA)
10) Borussia Dortmund (GER)
11) Paris St. Germain FC (FRA)
12) FC Inter Milan (ITA)
13) Arsenal FC (ENG)
14) Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)
15) Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
16) SL Benfica (POR)
17) LOSC Lille (FRA)
18) Schalke 04 (GER)
19) Valencia CF (ESP)
20) SSC Napoli (ITA)
21) Olympique Lyon (FRA)
22) Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
23) CSKA Moscow (RUS)
24) FC Porto (POR)
25) Montpellier HSC (FRA)

Notes

TOP TEN: Despite being second in La Liga, Barcelona is clearly the best team in Europe. They have been dominant against top competitors Real Madrid and remain favorites to take home the Champions League for the second straight year.. Manchester City is the best team in England, and should remain in the top 3 for the rest of the season. City have the depth and talent to win the Premier League despite failing to reach the knockout stages of the UCL.. Chelsea and Tottenham are neck and neck, but Spurs may have peaked too early. Chelsea are strengthening their squad in January, and Spurs must do the same to keep their league position ahead of the Blues. Spurs are one major injury away from a slide down the table, and with extremely talented, but injury-prone players in Aaron Lennon, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, Spurs would do well to add another player or two.. Bayern Munich is a dangerous team. They have the talent and experience to beat anyone in Europe.. Borussia Dortmund is a top team despite flopping in the Champions League. However, losing Mario Gotze for up to two months could be a fatal blow to their attempt to repeat as German champions.

11-25: PSG has performed a remarkable turnaround. Between the summer's cash injection and hirings of Leonardo and Carlo Ancelotti, the Parisians could be a real force in Europe as soon as next year.. Porto are not the same team without Andre Villas-Boas, but are also sorely missing Falcao. They are second in the league to Benfica but struggled mightily in the Champions League. Seven goals in six games is not vintage Porto, especially considering they were handed perhaps the easiest draw.. Inter is back on track. The Nerazzurri are up to fourth in Serie A after being in the relegation zone early in the season. They will be a tough out in Europe.. For the third year in a row, Montpellier are off to a good start in Ligue 1. Last year, one win in their final ten games left the side at just 14th in the league. This year looks like a different story, as the club sit second behind 14 league goals by Olivier Giroud. They could be on course for a first ever Champions League appearance. However, there is still a lot of season left and Lille and Lyon are lurking.. Arsenal have probably the weakest squad they've ever had in Arsene Wenger's tenure, and are still a top-15 European side. That is impressive on its own.