Soccer Power Rankings: Early-season look at Europe's top teams

On the first Tuesday of every month during the 2024-25 season, we'll debate which clubs are among Europe's elite in our Soccer Power Rankings. In the inaugural edition, we pick out the top 20 sides on the continent going into the first international break.

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1. Manchester City 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

League position: 1st in Premier League

None of the other 19 Premier League clubs have scored more than Erling Haaland after three rounds of fixtures. The Norwegian's seven-goal haul, including two hat-tricks, have helped lift Manchester City into first place. Rico Lewis, Kevin De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva are among the others who've impressed. - Daniel Rouse

2. Barcelona 🇪🇸

League position: 1st in La Liga

Barcelona's perfect start to the season is a huge credit to new head coach Hansi Flick after another summer of frenzied financial gymnastics in Catalonia. Barca walloped seven goals past Valladolid on Saturday, but their clear superiority in matches against Valencia (at the Mestalla) and Athletic Bilbao was extremely encouraging. - Rouse

3. Liverpool 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

League position: 2nd in Premier League

It's been an impressive start to Arne Slot's reign, capped off with Sunday's professional 3-0 dismantling of Manchester United. The Dutch boss has leaned on the foundations that Jurgen Klopp left behind - Federico Chiesa is the only summer addition to the senior squad - while introducing a more measured approach. - Rouse

4. Inter Milan 🇮🇹

League position: 1st in Serie A

Inter's opening-day draw with Genoa turned out to be an anomaly, not a sign of things to come. The Nerazzurri quickly re-established themselves as the team to beat in Serie A with an easy win over Lecce and a 4-0 takedown of Europa League winners Atalanta. - Anthony Lopopolo

5. Real Madrid 🇪🇸

League position: 2nd in La Liga

Kylian Mbappe needed four games to score his first goals in La Liga. Now, the rest of the league is on notice. Sunday's 2-0 win over Real Betis helped Real Madrid shake off the disappointment of 1-1 draws with Mallorca and Las Palmas. - Lopopolo

6. Arsenal 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

League position: 4th in Premier League

The home draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday left a bitter taste after Declan Rice's controversial dismissal. Still, the recent victory at Aston Villa - who did the double over Arsenal last season - was proof that the Gunners can challenge at the top again. - Rouse

7. Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷

League position: 1st in Ligue 1

With 13 goals scored and just two conceded, PSG have responded as well as they possibly could to life without Mbappe. Bradley Barcola seems to have benefitted the most from Mbappe's departure with four goals scored in three games. PSG's youth project is paying early dividends. - Lopopolo

8. Juventus 🇮🇹

League position: 2nd in Serie A

The two 3-0 wins to start the season showed a hungrier and younger side to Juventus. Thiago Motta has upended Massimiliano Allegri's conservative tactics in the few months since taking the job. Sunday's goalless draw with Roma is the only thing keeping the Bianconeri from being higher on the list. - Lopopolo

9. RB Leipzig 🇩🇪

League position: 3rd in Bundesliga

Just outside of first place on goal difference, Leipzig have made the biggest early-season impression in the Bundesliga, coming back from two goals down to beat Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday and end their 35-match league unbeaten run. Summer signing Antonio Nusa is one to watch. - Lopopolo

10. Bayern Munich 🇩🇪

League position: 2nd in Bundesliga

Bayern avoided an upset on opening weekend, fighting back from 2-1 down to beat Wolfsburg after blowing a 1-0 lead. Despite the unsettling start, they remain one of three Bundesliga teams with two wins out of two. Harry Kane, last year's top scorer, is also off the mark. - Lopopolo

11. PSV Eindhoven 🇳🇱

League position: 1st in Eredivisie

Peter Bosz's side isn't slowing down after storming to the 2023-24 Eredivisie crown. The richer clubs didn't pick at PSV as many predicted, with Jordan Teze's move to Monaco the only major departure. Title heroes like Joey Veerman, Luuk de Jong, and Johan Bakayoko are starring again. - Rouse

12. Atletico Madrid 🇪🇸

League position: 3rd in La Liga

Atleti fans should be optimistic after an impressive summer of business at the Wanda Metropolitano. It might take a while for the new recruits to click - Julian Alvarez has been quiet so far - but a 0-0 home draw with Espanyol represents a minor blip in some strong results thus far. - Rouse

13. Sporting CP 🇵🇹

League position: 1st in Primeira Liga

Ruben Amorim's Sporting CP have kick-started their bid for back-to-back titles with four wins in four matches. Viktor Gyokeres is registering Haaland-esque numbers with seven goals and one assist. It will be fascinating to see how Sporting fare when they host Arsenal and Manchester City in the Champions League. - Rouse

14. Marseille 🇫🇷

League position: 2nd in Ligue 1

Marseille showed they're on the ascendancy with a 5-1 rout of Brest, last season's surprise third-place finisher in France. Mason Greenwood has contributed five of the club's 10 league goals thus far. Robert De Zerbi has overseen a massive overhaul, with 12 players arriving for a reported €85 million. - Lopopolo

15. Brighton & Hove Albion 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

League position: 3rd in Premier League

De Zerbi lost his buzz for the Brighton job, contributing to a slide of just one win in the club's final 10 matches last season. His successor, Fabian Hurzeler, has brought back the good feeling, masterminding wins over Everton and Manchester United before earning a draw at Arsenal. - Rouse

16. Heidenheim 🇩🇪

League position: 1st in Bundesliga

Frank Schmidt was involved in Heidenheim's promotion from the fifth tier as a player and subsequently oversaw three promotions as head coach. Now, he's guided them to the Bundesliga's summit. Chief executive Holger Sanwald is another hero of the club's rise after taking over the then-amateur outfit in 1994. - Rouse

17. Bayer Leverkusen 🇩🇪

League position: 8th in Bundesliga

Leverkusen's invincibility may have been shattered on the weekend, but a lot of their championship DNA remains intact. They added the DFL-Supercup to their cabinet with a shootout win over Stuttgart, beat Mainz while down a man, and scored a typically late goal to win their opener. - Lopopolo

18. Torino 🇮🇹

League position: 3rd in Serie A

Torino surprised with a 2-2 draw at AC Milan and deserved victory over Atalanta. The club is full of interesting names, including Scottish forward Che Adams, and plays a rhythmic style of football with patient buildup play. Keep an eye on Torino's development under rookie Serie A coach Paolo Vanoli. - Lopopolo

19. Newcastle United 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

League position: 5th in Premier League

Eddie Howe believes it will take longer to deliver success after a frustrating transfer window. But the on-pitch evidence indicates Newcastle can finish in the top four, especially with fewer injuries than last season and a schedule free of European football. Goalkeeper Nick Pope is their standout player so far. - Rouse

20. Borussia Dortmund 🇩🇪

League position: 4th in Bundesliga

It's all change at Dortmund despite their surprise run to the 2024 Champions League final. Club icon Marco Reus moved to Major League Soccer, Niclas Fullkrug left for West Ham United, and the largely inexperienced Nuri Sahin is at the helm. Their defense looks solid so far. - Rouse

On the cusp: Monaco, Girona, Fenerbahce