Champions League results will scramble the Euro rankings

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So, does the fact that Inter Milan held European champion Barcelona to a scoreless tie mean that the Italian team rises in the rankings? Does the Spanish team fall?

Is Arsenal’s come-from-two-goals-down victory over Standard Liege in Belgium enough to earn it a spot in Europe’s Top 20, or does AC Milan’s rain-soaked victory at Olympique Marseille in France count for more?

Sixteen Champions League matches were played this week (look here and here), and because it will be two weeks before the competition resumes, the results will definitely influence the new rankings when they come out Sunday evening.

Chelsea is currently at the top of the heap, but its 1-0 win at home over FC Porto did not exactly provide a thrill a minute at Stamford Bridge, so perhaps the Blues can be dislodged.

As Inter Milan and Barcelona showed with their 0-0 tie in Milan, it doesn’t take goals for a team’s reputation to rise. Just listen to Inter Coach Jose Mourinho:

‘They had chances and we had ours. They obviously had more of the ball, and it’s better to control a game with the ball than without it. But controlling a game without the ball is a quality and worthy of merit.

‘I was joking with [Barcelona Coach Pep] Guardiola after the game about the tactical war we had. A 0-0 can be a great match and I think it was a great match.’

It was and it indicated yet again why the Champions League is the planet’s top soccer tournament, ahead of even the World Cup.

-- Grahame L. Jones