Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester United are among the top 50 clubs in Europe, according to statistics.Liverpool's 2021/22 season ended with a mixed bag of results.
The Reds were left to settle for the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in what will go down in history as a momentous year for the club, as their quadruple aspirations died in the final week of the campaign.
Manchester City's late comeback ended any dreams of stealing the Premier League championship, before Real Madrid defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final for the second time in four years.
The season 2021/22 for Liverpool
It's crucial to remember, though, that Liverpool's season-ending performance was only disappointing in light of the outstanding performances that had before it.Jurgen Klopp's men's achievement of even being able to play in every potential game available to them is unlikely to be repeated for years, if not decades.
And, despite the fact that City conquered England and Real tamed Europe, there's still a case to be made that Liverpool is Europe's best team.Is Liverpool the best football team on the planet?
While that may seem far-fetched to some, statistics back it up, with Liverpool named as the top men's team in Europe by ClubElo.
'Elo' ratings are assigned to each club based on their win probabilities against the other top clubs around them, and are one of the most recognized statistical models in the beautiful game.You can read more about the Elo system here, but the moral of the tale is that if you have a higher win probability versus more teams than not, you'll do better in the stats. It's far from ideal, but it's a fascinating approach to assess the condition of play after the end of the 2021/22 season, much like any attempt at objectively ranking football teams.
The top 50 European clubs
So, without further ado, have a look at who is chasing Liverpool in the statistical list of the greatest teams in European men's football at the time of writing:
Borussia Monchengladbach is ranked 50th
Brentford (nineteenth)
Rangers (48).
Freiburg is number 47.
Marseille is number 46.
Rennes (45).
Lazio (44).
Wolverhampton Wanderers (43).
Feyenoord (42),
Union Berlin (No. 41)
Atalanta (40).
Eintracht Frankfurt is currently ranked 39th
Lyon is number 38.
Athletic Bilbao is ranked 37th
Aston Villa (36).
AS Monaco (35).
Crystal Palace (number 34)
AS Roma (number 33)
Real Sociedad (32nd)
Newcastle United is number 31
Brighton & Hove Albion (#30)
PSV Eindhoven (No. 29)
Benfica (28.)
Red Bull Salzburg is number 27.
Sporting CP is number 26 on the list.
Real Betis (25).
Leicester City is number 24
West Ham United (23).
Juventus is ranked 22nd.
Bayer Leverkusen (21st)
Borussia Dortmund is ranked 20th.
19. Napoli
Manchester United 18
RB Leipzig 17
Sevilla (16th)
FC Porto 15
AC Milan 14
Villarreal 13
Arsenal 12
Paris Saint-Germain (11th)
Inter Milan (10)
Tottenham Hotspur (9)
Atletico Madrid (8)
Barcelona is ranked seventh.
6. Ajax
Chelsea is number five.
Bayern München
Real Madrid 3rd.
Manchester City is ranked second.
1.Liverpool
The Premier League is in top form.
So there you have it, the Premier League is in first place.
While City and Real may not appreciate the sight of Liverpool nipping at their heels in the race for the two most prestigious titles, Kopites will be relieved that their quadruple bid isn't the end of their season.
Of course, trophies are the most significant criteria by which to evaluate a campaign, but make no mistake: Jurgen Klopp's side returned to football's top table in 2021/22.
Meanwhile, the Premier League flashed its muscles with some intriguing matchups, with Spurs defeating PSG, Arsenal defeating AC Milan, and West Ham chasing down Juventus.
However, the continent made its presence felt, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich scoring freely and holding their own against the big boys, while Ajax is fighting far above their weight in sixth position.
Barcelona are definitely benefiting from Xavi's resurrection, Atletico Madrid haven't fallen too far behind Europe's best, and Jose Mourinho still has a lot of work to do to turn Roma into a top, top team.
Regardless of whose trend, pattern, or placement you're focusing on, the moral of the story is that the 2022/23 season is full of intriguing narrative lines waiting to be told. We can't wait to get started.
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