Welcome to the confusing algorithm which has labelled Chelsea as the best team in the world.
Who is the best team in the world?
Barcelona? Real Madrid? Manchester United? Bayern Munich?
None of the above. It is in fact Chelsea.
Before you rally against us, don’t look at in our direction, blame theInternational Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
The Blues continuing progression in the Europa League has helped their rise, while Barcelona who had previously occupied top spot slipped five places courtesy of their recent poor form.
The IFFHS use a complex system to calculate the rankings, with each win and loss counting for a certain number of points, depending on the competition.
For example a win in the Champions League counts for 14 points, while a Europa League win counts for just 12. All it’s intricacies can be found explained here.
The IFFHS has produced it’s club world rankings since 1991, updating them once a month.
Here are the current top 10:
1) Chelsea
2) Atletico Madrid
3) Bayern Munich
4) Corinthians
5) Barcelona
6) Boca Juniors
7) Real Madrid
8) Juventus
9) Inter Milan
10) Sao Paolo
It’s clear the success of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in last season’s Champions League and Europa League are large factors behind these rankings, and just like the world international rankings which place England so highly, they aren’t a true reflection of the current state of football.
Chelsea have been undergoing internal turmoil with Roberto di Matteo axed and the unpopular Rafa Benitez as boss, and are currently just fourth in the Premier League.
While Atletico Madrid are in second in La Liga but ahead of Barcelona in these rankings, it doesn’t quite add up. The nearest any English club get to Chelsea is Manchester United, who sit in 19th.
So while Chelsea missed out on the FIFA Club World Cup, if they want to clutch at straws, this is their chance to do it.