Barcelona have been knocked
off the top of the International
Federation of Football History
& Statistics (IFFHS) Club World
Ranking after a poor run of
results.
But to many people's surprise it
isn't Real Madrid or Bayern
Munich, or even Manchester
United who have displaced
them.
No, the current table toppers in
the IFFHS Club World Ranking
are Chelsea. That's right, that
Stamford Bridge club that
seemingly stumbles from crisis
to crisis like a drunk from bar to
bar - the club whose manager
last week went into meltdown,
whose owner is reportedly a
crazed megalomanic, and
whose players include the £50m
striker who doesn't score goals
and the club legend who can't
earn himself a new deal.
Chelsea have endured a
miserable Premier League
season, their first campaign of
domestic struggle since, wait,
their first since last year come
to think of it.
But while Roberto Di Matteo
managed to salvage an anaemic
league campaign by embarking
on an incredible run in the
Champions League and FA Cup,
this year's boss, Rafa Benitez,
has found it much more
challenging to prod the old
giants of the dressing room in
action.
The Blues sit fourth in the
Premier League, and face a
scrap to qualify for next year's
Champions League - a
competition they've already
exited.
A section of the fans are in
open revolt at the manager
when really the blame should be
pointed at the board and/or
owner. And the club's favourite
son, Frank Lampard, looks set to
leave the club on a free transfer,
probably a week or two after
becoming Chelsea's all-time top
scorer. Strange times at
Stamford Bridge, but then
again, that's nothing new.
Across Europe, many have been
quick to point to Barcelona's
recent El Clasico defeats as an
end of an era. The fact that they
lost last year's Champions
League semi-final to a goal-shy
Chelsea and the league title to
Real Madrid seems to have gone
unnoticed, thanks largely to Real
Madrid's own self-capitulation
in La Liga this term. But perhaps
those were the turning points,
rather than this stuttering
string of defeats.
In the absence of Tito Vilanova,
Barcelona have lost three on the
bounce. And all of a sudden
they're clearly a spent force.
Well, IFFHS seem to agree, and
the Spanish side, who have
been reigning Team of the Year
for the past two seasons, have
slipped to fifth. One of the
teams to take their place is
Atletico Madrid.
Spearheaded by Radamel Falcao,
Diego Simeone's side have
blasted their way to second
place in La Liga and into the
Copa Del Rey final. There they'll
face Real Madrid, in what
promises to be a
mouthwatering capital city
clash.
Here, they're up to second,
while runaway Bundesliga
leaders Bayern Munich are third.
2012 Club World Cup winners
Corinthians in theory were
crowned the world's best club
side last year. Everybody's pretty
confident they're not, but they
are up to fourth in the IFFHS
anyway.
Rounding out the top ten
you've got Boca Juniors in sixth,
Real Madrid in seventh, Juventus
and Inter Milan in eight and
ninth respectively and then Sao
Paulo tenth.
So, no place for Manchester
United - 12 points clear in the
Premier League - and no room
for Borssia Dortmund or
Manchester City. Controversial
perhaps, we'll leave the criteria
and mathematics to the boffins.
You can find out how they work
it all out on their website here.
So, here is the IFFHS top ten...
IFFHS Club World Ranking - Top
10
1. Chelsea | England | 307
points
2. Atletico Madrid | Spain | 304
3. Bayern Munich | Germany |
292
4. Corinthians | Brazil | 287
5. Barcelona | Spain | 283
6. Boca Juniors | Argentina |
281
7. Real Madrid | Spain | 277
8. Juventus |Italy | 241
9. Inter Milan | Italy | 234
10. Sao Paulo | Brazil | 230

Point of correction, FIFA has no connections with this ranking, simply because it's temporary and the criteria for ranking is too shallow and not enough for the intention.

CHYKMAN: Point of correction, FIFA has no connections with this ranking, simply because it's temporary and the criteria for ranking is too shallow and not enough for the intention.

Which Tym u start to watch d game of soccer

Say armoured tank just come out never meant chariots provided better advantages in battles. Enjoy your hackneyed views while the sports world leaves you behind.