Top 25 - March 9

Not much has changed but many of the top sides are really struggling. French football is taking a beating this year. Here is this week's Top 25:

Format: Rank (Previous) Team (Country)

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

Dropped from Rankings: Olympique de Marseille (18), Olympique Lyon (20)

Notes:

TOP TEN: AC Milan moves in front of Juventus after they took top spot from the Old Lady in Serie A. Despite squeaking through their tie against Arsenal, this team has the talent to win the league and maybe even the Champions League if its stars decide to show up, which did not happen at the Emirates.  Juventus is still undefeated in the league (13 wins, 13 draws) but has lacked the cutting edge to grind out wins against some of the smaller clubs in the league. With twelve games left, Juve could avoid defeat for the remainder of the season as its toughest games are at their home stadium. However, they need to turn draws into wins or Milan will take its second straight Scudetto.. Strangely, the only team in the top ten to win a match in Europe over the past three weeks was Barcelona. As Lionel Messi's five-goal game showed, the Catalans have some distance between them and the rest of Europe. Real Madrid and Manchester City have come close to reaching their level, but haven't obtained the same kind of results in Europe. Barcelona is set to roll through the Champions League this year, and it would really be a huge upset if they lost, to anyone.. This Manchester United team is unlike any I have ever seen. At times, they show their vintage ability to grab results despite being outplayed (such as last week's win at Tottenham), but they have also lost at home this season to Blackburn, Ajax, and Athletic Bilbao. Sitting two points behind City is not a bad position, but there cannot possibly be the same type of belief in the United camp as in years past.

11-25: When I began these rankings, I considered the French clubs to be a cluster of teams having around the same type of quality. That has certainly cleared up, as Lyon and Marseille have tanked, while PSG and Montpellier have continued to shine. Olivier Giroud has continued his scoring form, even scoring for France against Germany in a friendly. Lille is still hanging in there, but is not near the level of last year, and the inevitable departure of Edin Hazard this summer will change the club.. As of today, two of the Champions League knockout round's largest minnows in history are still in the competition. APOEL ko'd Lyon on March 7 and Basel can do the same to Bayern on the 13th. APOEL's magical run has earned them a place among the top teams in Europe, and with Basel's stellar form continuing, who's to say they can't join them in the quarterfinals. Both teams have shown the ability to attack the big boys with quality football, not simply sit back and repel waves of attacks.. This could be Inter's last week in the rankings. The team looks dreadful, Rainieri is likely on the way out, and the team is down to 7th in the table. The talent hasn't gone anywhere - there is just no confidence or motivation. Bowing out to Marseille in the Champions League on March 13 could finally be the end for the manager.. Arsenal have taken a big step to secure fourth place over Chelsea by holding a three point advantage with eleven games to go. Arsenal's performances have improved greatly, and the results are beginning to come around. Chelsea still have a long ways to go in finding stability, having just fired their manager, while winning just four of their last twelve matches.