With a long layoff between the first two Champions League matchdays, we're beginning to see some cracks in our contenders, with Bayern Munich and Manchester City both dropping points. Real Madrid rode a roller coaster past Roma, and a new tier is separating itself as Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Arsenal have been a step ahead of everyone to kick off the league phase. Manchester United have gone back to being a crisis club thanks to Leny Yoro being sent off in their loss to Atletico Madrid, and it's gotten worse with Lisandro Martinez calling out the front office of the club following the match.
It's warranted criticism, as the squad's return to Champions League play should be better than what we've seen, but they aren't alone in big sides struggling. Meanwhile, Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, and Sporting CP should be shedding their dark horse statuses in this tournament. Sure, they may not come from leagues that regularly win this competition, but they've been able to give any team in the world fits when they show up to play, as the league phase has presented more opportunities for clubs like them to progress deeper into the competition.
It was a rough day for Italian sides as all three lost their matches on Matchday 2, but in this week's edition of the rankings, let's see who joined them in falling and who rose up the rankings.
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