Supporters are finding humor in the latest UEFA club coefficient rankings, which place Arsenal behind their rivals, Manchester United.
This comes despite Arsenal missing out on a trophy for the third consecutive season, while Manchester United endured what many consider one of their most challenging campaigns in recent memory.
Following their exit from the Champions League at the hands of eventual winners PSG, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta controversially claimed his team was the “best in Europe.”
However, the official coefficient league table presents a different picture, positioning Arsenal even below Manchester United, a club often labeled as being in a period of crisis.
These UEFA rankings are determined by factoring in each club`s performance in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League over the preceding five years and are primarily utilized for seeding purposes in European competitions.
In the current standings, Arsenal occupies 12th place overall with 98 points, whereas Manchester United is slightly higher in 11th place, accumulating 102.5 points.
While Arsenal`s run to the Champions League semi-finals this season contributed 36 points, their overall score has been negatively impacted by not participating in European competitions in the 2020/21 season and exiting the Europa League at the last-16 stage the following year.
In contrast, Manchester United has shown more consistency in European participation across the five-year evaluation period, featuring in every season.
Although points gained in the Europa League are worth less than those from the Champions League, two runner-up finishes and reaching a quarter-final berth during this timeframe have been sufficient to keep them just ahead of Arsenal.
As expected, the rankings have sparked mockery among rival fans towards the North London club. One fan sarcastically noted, "As if the best team in Europe isn't even ranked top ten."
Another found humor in the situation, commenting, "Chelsea is still ahead of Arsenal despite not playing Champions League for two seasons."
A third fan shared their disbelief: "This can’t be right, the best club in the world Arsenal are not there. They have been telling me all year they are the best the world has ever seen. Forget the trophies."
The updated rankings show Real Madrid topping the list with 143.5 points, closely followed by Manchester City at 137.75.
PSG`s recent Champions League triumph added a significant 33.5 points, lifting them to fifth position.
Chelsea`s victory in the Conference League contributed 30 points. Their position is also bolstered by the 33 points earned from their Champions League success under Thomas Tuchel four years prior.
Looking at other English clubs further down the list, Tottenham is ranked 27th, West Ham sits in 29th place, and Aston Villa is positioned 46th.
