Barcelona back in 1st in AP football poll

29 Oct, 2013 03:19 PM3 mins to read

LONDON (AP) Barcelona took first place in the AP global football poll Tuesday following its 2-1 win over Real Madrid, and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez earned top player honors.

Goals from Neymar and Alexis Sanchez helped Barcelona win the first "clasico" of the season and move six points ahead of Madrid in the Spanish league.

"The victory over Real Madrid proved that Tata Martino's team will not be (Lionel) Messi-dependent, since the Argentine did not have a great night and other players like Neymar and (Andres) Iniesta took charge," Leonardo Bertozzi of ESPN Brazil said. "This result confirms the leadership and still gives psychological advantage over a rival."

Both of Barcelona's scorers made the top 10 of the player rankings this week; Neymar was fourth with 90 points while Alexis Sanchez was tied for seventh with Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa, both with 46.

Suarez, who received 144 points from the 20-man panel of global football writers, scored a hat trick in Liverpool's 4-1 rout of West Bromwich Albion at Anfield. He finished eight points higher than Fernando Torres, who scored Chelsea's winner against Manchester City on Sunday.

"Since his return from suspension, Luis Suarez has offered a compelling case to suggest he is the deadliest, most imaginative striker in Europe," Richard Winton of The Herald in Scotland said.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was third after a week in which he scored four times in Paris Saint-Germain's 5-0 win over Anderlect in the Champions League.

"It was the best performance in the Champions League of 2013-2014 so far," Axel Torres of Marca Radio in Spain said. "Not only the amount of goals he produced; it was also the quality of them. He is in the best shape of his career."

Borussia Dortmund was second in the team poll after two away wins in a week. The German club beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Champions League before winning 3-1 against Schalke in the Ruhr derby.

"Dortmund's Armenian playmaker (Henrikh Mkhitaryan) firmly cemented his place as a fan favorite with an exemplary creative performance in the win over FC Schalke 04 in the Revierderby, playing an integral role in all three goals, as BVB claimed the Ruhr district bragging rights," Bundesliga.com editor James Thorogood said.

Chelsea was third in the club poll after its 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge and 4-0 away victory against Steaua Bucharest.

Roma is six points behind Chelsea with 121 after the team improved to 9-0 with a 1-0 win at Udinese thanks to a goal from United States midfielder Michael Bradley.

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AP Global Football 10 rankings, week ending Oct. 29

Players:

1. Luis Suarez, 144 points.

2. Fernando Torres, 136.

3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 115.

4. Neymar, 90.

5. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 49.

(tie) David Villa, 49.

7. Alexis Sanchez, 46.

(tie) Diego Costa, 46.

9. Franck Ribery, 34.