José Mourinho's bombshell didn’t affect this week's World Power Rankings, but there have definitely been some shakeups. Here are some of the moves:
• Chelsea’s definitely out. The Blues haven’t been playing particularly well anyways, and their home draw with Norwegian lightweight Rosenborg was the biggest surprise of the opening round of the Champions League. But with the Special One gone, I can’t see how Chelsea is going to pick up the pieces this season, even if Sevilla’s Juande Ramos is on his way.
• Barcelona over Manchester United. This was a tough call, because both of these clubs are in similar shape: There’s no reason they should be struggling this much to score. Barça has already suffered two scoreless draws this season and has yet to figure out its formula with a roster full of world-class attackers. Man Utd has a bit more of an excuse, with Wayne Rooney missing time, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s surprise retirement and Carlos Tévez struggling to work his way into the attack. But Barça broke out first in Wednesday’s masterful 3-0 takedown of Olympique Lyonnais.
• Arsenal, Roma make huge gains. Who saw this coming? There’s finally some stability at the Emirates Stadium and the name Thierry Henry merely conjures up fond memories instead of anxiety attacks. Meanwhile, at the Stadio Olimpico, the Giallorossi are the most dominant team in Serie A.
• Boca Juniors stays, São Paulo still looking in. I still can’t understand what these two clubs are doing meeting in the first round of the Copa Sudamericana. If not for Martín Palermo’s aerial dominance (is this guy the epitome of a target man or what?), Boca might have lost at home Wednesday night to the Brazilian powerhouse. São Paulo kept the pressure on all game with a speedy, dazzling one-named midfield of Souza, Richarlyson, Hugo and Jorge Wágner (OK, that’s two names). The Tricolor Paulista will be back.
Click here to take a look of the rundown, then give me your thoughts. Is Chelsea screwed? Will Man United recover? And where is Inter Milan these days?


Cintia Dicker
Anne V


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