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UEFA Champions League 250: Ranking the Top 250 Footballers After Matchday 2

Daniel Tiluk

As the UEFA Champions League group stage enters its third week, many of the world's best footballers—just returned from an intense international break—are awaiting Europe's pre-eminent competition to recommence.

Before they take the pitch, however, one piece of business remains from Matchday 2: ranking the 250 best performers at their respective positions.

Some major names were missing in action (such as Barcelona's Lionel Messi, for example), but their absences provided opportunities for others. Some players gave their clubs great back-to-back performances, while others failed to recapture their form from the first matchday.

Now hitting its proverbial stride, Bleacher Report is attempting to determine the best Champions League footballer on a matchday-by-matchday basis.

The usual suspects always lurk, but sometimes lesser known, or even unknown, footballers can shock our collective consciousness and arrive from nowhere. In that sense, Bleacher Report is taking a holistic approach: breaking down each position, finding the outstanding footballers therein and grading each according to his output.

With 250 players to start—from the 32 qualified clubs in the group stage—competition for places is tough, but there's enough room for thorough investigation and critique. Each player is evaluated by your slightly biased but mostly fair author, who will bring you player grades based on the action after every round of matches.

Before presenting the second set of grades for the 2016/17 Champions League, though, a reminder of the methodology is in order.

Methodology

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Footballers are graded on a series of four key attributes in their respective positional roles. Using a grading scale, starting at zero and going up to anywhere from 10 to 25, the system is based on the most recently completed matchday—reaching a maximum of 100 points.

The 250 players are divided into positions and ranked against/with their contemporaries:

Obviously no system is perfect, and there are flaws with every conceivable methodology, but giving each group of players its own unique grading system—rather than throwing every footballer into the same equation—should offer a truer end result from matchday to matchday.

One set of grades will have no connection with the next. Nor will one's domestic form bear any weight in Champions League proceedings. If a player is injured but is given time on the pitch, that is disregarded. If a player plays for under 45 minutes—no matter his effectiveness—he will be removed from the pool in order to offer a fair two-half representation.

Grading is a subjective process. We all have things we notice and things we appreciate more than others; in that respect, no ranking is ever definitive. There's always the comments section for discussions, rebuttals and suggestions.

Lastly, in the event of ties, we simply ask: "Who do we think had a better game?" The winner gets top billing.

Goalkeepers

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Champions League defences were slightly more resolute during the second group-stage fixtures.

Despite conceding one less clean sheet, there were 50 goals scored in the first group-stage matchday, compared to the 46 scored two weeks later.

Sevilla's Sergio Rico was arguably the top performer of the second round. Hosting Olympique Lyonnais, the Spanish shot-stopper logged four saves and kept a clean sheet against the French contingent. On the other side was Lyon's Anthony Lopez, who gave a similarly great performance, with five saves, but a Wissam Ben Yedder goal in the 52nd minute gave Jorge Sampaoli's side the three points.

Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur was close second to Rico, with 81 percent distribution. The Frenchman was instrumental to Spurs' efficient play from the back. Bouncing back from his performance against AS Monaco, Tottenham's captain finding his form against CSKA Moscow was key.

Defending Premier League champions Leicester City have earned back-to-back clean sheets, and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was vital to that effort against FC Porto, as the English titleholders moved top of Group G.

David Ospina took charge of Arsenal's No. 1 duties once more, as Petr Cech was rested by manager Arsene Wenger. It seems the Gunners' back-up goalie has taken complete charge of the job in the Champions League—something he was not able to do in 2015/16.

At the bottom of the rankings, both Celtic's Craig Gordon and Manchester City's Claudio Bravo suffered from being in an unexpected but thrilling 3-3 contest. Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Borussia Monchengladbach's Yann Sommer were not entirely convincing during their clash, and one of the latter's mistake allowed the Catalan giants to take the victory.

      

Grading Scale

Hand: Handling (graded out of 25)

Pos: Positioning (graded out of 25)

Kick: Kicking (graded out of 25)

Saves: Saves (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

      

Goalkeeper Rankings | Matchday 2
Rank Player Club Hand Pos Kick Saves Ovr
1 Sergio Rico Sevilla 23  22  21  23  89 
2 Hugo Lloris Tottenham Hotspur 21  23  23  21 88
3 Jan Oblak Atletico Madrid 22  22  20  23 87 
4 Anthony Lopez Olympique Lyonnais 23  21  22  21  87 
5 Kasper Schmeichel Leicester City 22  22  21  21  86
6 David Ospina  Arsenal  22  21  20  22  85 
7 Alphonse Areola Paris Saint-Germain 21  20  22  21  84 
8 Manuel Neuer Bayern Munich 20  22  21  20  83 
9 Keylor Navas Real Madrid 19  20  21  20  80 
10 Rui Patricio Sporting Lisbon 20  19  21  20  79 
11 Gianluigi Buffon Juventus 19  20  20  19  78 
12 Fabricio Besiktas 18  19  19  19  75 
13 Tomas Vaclik FC Basel 19  20  18  18  75 
14 Roman Burki Borussia Dortmund  18  19  18  19  74 
15 Arkadiusz Malarz Legia Warsaw 17  18  20  18 73 
16 Robin Olsen Copenhagen 19  20  17  17 73 
17 Iker Casillas FC Porto 17  19 18  17  71 
18 Artur Rudko Dynamo Kiev 18  17  17  18  70 
19 Danijel Subasic AS Monaco 19 16  18  17  70 
20 Ludovic Butelle Club Brugge 17 17  16  18  68 
21 Marc-Andre ter Stegen Barcelona 16 18  16  17  67 
22 Vladislav Stoyanov Ludogorets 17  17  16  18  67 
23 Pepe Reina   Napoli 16  18  18  16  66 
24 Yann Sommer Borussia Monchengladbach 16  15  17  15  63 
25 Soslan Dzhanaev FC Rostov 15  16  17  15  63 
26 Craig Gordon Celtic 16  14  16  16  62 
27 Jeroen Zoet PSV Eindhoven 15 14  15  16  61 
28 Claudio Bravo Manchester City 14  16 17  14  61 
29 Bernd Leno Bayer Leverkusen 13  13  15  15  56 
30 Igor Akinfeev CSKA Moscow 12  14  13  13 52

       

Notable Omissions

Right-Backs and Right Wing-Backs

STRINGER/Getty Images

Finishing seventh after Matchday 1, Dani Alves gave Juventus a man-of-the-match performance and takes top spot after Matchday 2. Scoring and assisting against Dinamo Zagreb, the Brazil international contributed to 50 percent of the Old Lady's goals in their 4-0 drubbing the Croatian champions.

Just behind the former Barcelona star is Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender. Not playing his club's first Champions League match at right-back, the Germany international made 12 tackles in 90 minutes. His defensive contribution was not enough to earn three points against AS Monaco but helped the German outfit remain unbeaten.

Serge Aurier and Lukasz Piszczek, from Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund respectively, were two of the best defensive contributors on Matchday 1, but the right-backs failed to repeat their previous performances.

Elsewhere, the north London-based duo of Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur) and Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) were solid, Spurs beating CSKA Moscow and the Gunners easily handling FC Basel. Premier League peer Luis Hernandez (Leicester City) was similarly strong for manager Claudio Ranieri in his side's victory over Porto.

Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm missed the Bavarians' first Champions League fixture, but the venerable captain featured in a losing effort for head coach Carlo Ancelotti's men against Atletico Madrid. Juanfran, the German's opposite number, was his usual, reliable self—providing his stringent manager, Diego Simeone, with the requisite defensive solidarity to combat one of Europe's most potent offensive clubs.

     

Grading Scale

Tac: Tackling (graded out of 25)

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Dis: Discipline (graded out of 25)

Off: Offence (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

     

Right-Back and Right Wing-Back Rankings | Matchday 2
Rank Player Club Tac Pas Dis Off Ovr
1 Dani Alves Juventus  21  24  23  25 93 
2 Lars Bender Bayer Leverkusen 25 22  23  20  91
3 Kieran Trippier  Tottenham Hotspur  21  24  21  22  88 
4 Hector Bellerin  Arsenal  20 23  21 23 87 
5 Juanfran Atletico Madrid  23 20  23  18  84 
6 Daniel Schwaab  PSV Eindhoven  22  20  22  19  83 
7 Sergi Roberto  Barcelona  18  23  19 22  82 
8 Mariano Sevilla 22 20  19  19  80 
9 Dani Carvajal  Real Madrid  19  21  19 20  79 
10 Peter Ankersen  Copenhagen 20  19  19  18  76 
11 Lukasz Piszczek Borussia Dortmund  19  20  19  17  75 
12 Luis Hernandez  Leicester City  18  19  20  17  74 
13 Philipp Lahm  Bayern Munich  18  18  19  17  72 
14 Serge Aurier  Paris Saint-Germain  17  18  18  17  70 
15 Paulo Zabaleta  Manchester City  16  18  16  18  68 
16 Nelsinho Benfica  17  16  18  15  66 
17 Mario Fernandes CSKA Moscow 15  16  17  16  64 
18 Timofei Kalachev FC Rostov 19 14  16 14  63 
19 Andrea Raggi  AS Monaco  15  15  17  13  60 
20 Miguel Layun  FC Porto 14  14  17  14  59 

Notable Omissions

Left-Backs and Left Wing-Backs

David Ramos/Getty Images

Filipe Luis has been world's football's most consistent left-back for the past four seasons. Despite an interesting but title-winning campaign with Chelsea in 2014/15, the Brazil international maintained his level, and since returning to Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid last summer, Luis has continued his stellar form.

Tasked with slowing down the right side of Bayern Munich's opulent attacking talent, the 31-year-old defender was magnificent. Hardly found out of position—and always ready to get his team moving forward—the Brazilian is an invaluable member of Group D's early leaders.

Luis' counterpart was someone many feel is the world's most talented left-back, David Alaba.

Capable of playing multiple positions, the Austrian seems most comfortable at left-back, even though some might argue he is more effective in central midfield. Against Atletico Madrid, the young Munich star was one of Ancelotti's better performers, but his efforts were not enough.

Keeping with the Madrid theme, veteran Real Madrid defender Marcelo was unavailable, so Danilo stepped in for manager Zinedine Zidane. A right-back by trade, Danilo was decent for the Spanish giants in an emergency left-back capacity. Playing Borussia Dortmund's bevy of attacking talent, however, "decent" was not enough to help Real secure three points.

Arguably the surprise of this Champions League matchday was Ludwig Augustinsson. FC Copenhagen's young left-back found two assists against Club Brugge and helped keep his club's first clean sheet of the group stage. Should Augustinsson's performances continue, the Swede's employers could start receiving some fairly impressive offers for him.

      

Grading Scale

Tac: Tackling (graded out of 25)

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Dis: Discipline (graded out of 25)

Off: Offence (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

      

Left-Back and Left Wing-Back Rankings | Matchday 2
Rank Player Club Tac Pas Dis Off Ovr
1 Filipe Luis Atletico Madrid 24  24  25  23  96
2 Ludwig Augustinsson Copenhagen 22  25 22  25  94
3 David Alaba Bayern Munich  21  22  22  23  90 
4 Benjamin Henrichs Bayer Leverkusen 24  21  23  21  89
5 Christian Fuchs Leicester City 23  21  22  21  87 
6 Natanael Ludogorets 20  20  21  25  86 
7 Djibril Sidibe AS Monaco 21 20  22  21  84 
8 Faouzi Ghoulam Napoli 19  22  20  23 84 
9 Nacho Monreal Arsenal 20 21  20 20  81 
10 Danilo Real Madrid 19  21  19 21 80 
11 Patrice Evra Juventus 20  19  21 19  79 
12 Caner Erkin Besiktas 19  18  21 18 76 
13 Alex Telles FC Porto 17  19  20 17 73 
14 Sergio Escudero Sevilla 16  17  19 19  71 
15 Jordi Alba Barcelona  15  20  18 17  70 
16 Ben Davies Tottenham Hotspur  16  17  18 18  69 
17 Maciej Rybus Olympique Lyonnais  17  15  17 18 67 
18 Georgi Shchennikov CSKA Moscow 15  16  18 15  64 
19 Adama Traore FC Basel 15  15  14 17  61 
20 Jetro Willems PSV Eindhoven 14  15  15 14  58 

      

Notable Omissions

Centre-Backs

VI-Images/Getty Images

As the least attacking outfield players, central defenders usually defend their own goal; the Champions League's second round of group-stage matches, though, found a handful centre-backs celebrating offensive exploits.

Starting with the least of these, Mathias Jorgensen from FC Copenhagen scored against Club Brugge in the dying minutes as the Danish side slaughtered the Belgians 4-0 at home.

AS Monaco's Kamil Glik also scored a goal at the death against Bayer Leverkusen—down a goal, his late strike was worth a point for the Ligue 1 leaders. The former Torino centre-back unleashed a great strike to level proceedings—any centre-forward would have been proud of the Poland international's stunning effort.

Raphael Varane's goal against Borussia Dortmund put the Spanish giants ahead for 19 minutes in the second half, but Andre Schurrle's rocket leveled the fixture at 2-2. The 23-year-old Frenchman was not just a goalscorer, though. His ability to keep pace with lightning-quick centre-forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was imperative to shackling head coach Thomas Tuchel's explosive attacking force.

A centre-back goalscorer did capture three points for his side, however, Barcelona's Gerard Pique being the right man in the right place to beat Borussia Monchengladbach. Not having Messi available, the Catalan superclub was in desperate need of three points, and their long-serving defender popped up with a 74th-minute winner.

Pique is frequently subjected to heavy criticism, but more times than not, the 29-year-old has been great for Barcelona—their last UCL match being no exception.

           

Grading Scale

Def: Defending (graded out of 25)

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Dis: Discipline (graded out of 25)

Off: Offence (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

       

Centre-Back Rankings | Matchday 2
Rank Player Club Def Pas Dis Off Ovr
1 Giorgio Chiellini Juventus  25  23  25 20  93
2 Kamil Gilk AS Monaco  22 22 22  25  91 
3 Raphael Varane Real Madrid  23  22  22  25  91 
4 Shkodran Mustafi Arsenal  23  23  23  20  89 
5 Andrea Barzagli Juventus  24  21  23  20  88 
6 Marquinhos Paris Saint-Germain  23  23  22  20  88 
7 Gerard Pique Barcelona 21  22 20  25  88 
8 Toby Alderweireld Tottenham Hotspur  23  21  22  20  86 
9 Laurent Koscielny  Arsenal 23  20  22  19  84 
10 Diego Godin Atletico Madrid 24  20 23  17  83 
11 Mathias Jorgensen Copenhagen 22  21  22  18  83 
12 Sebastian Coates Sporting Lisbon 22  21  21  18  82 
13 Jeremy Morel Olympique Lyonnais 21  20  22  17  80 
14 Leonardo Bonucci Juventus 20  21  19  20  80 
15 Jan Vertonghen Tottenham Hotspur 21  20 21 17  79 
16 Ruben Semedo Sporting Lisbon 22  19  19  17  77 
17 Stefan Savic Atletico Madrid 22  18 22  15  77 
18 Gabriel Mercado Sevilla 21  19 20  16  76 
19 Javier Mascherano Barcelona 21  18  18  17  74 
20 Nico Pareja Sevilla 20  17 20  17  74 
21 Erik Johansson Copenhagen 21  19 19  15  74 
22 Dusko Tosic Besiktas 21  17 18  16  72 
23 Omer Toprak Bayer Leverkusen 19  18  18  16  71 
24 Robert Huth Leicester City 20  15  20  15  70 
25 Thiago Silva Paris Saint-Germain 19  18 17  16  70 
26 Jemerson AS Monaco 20  17 17  15  69 
27 Wes Morgan Leicester City 21  16 16 14  67 
28 Matthias Ginter Borussia Dortmund 18  17 15 16  66 
29 Eder Balanta FC Basel 17  17 17  14  65 
30 Yevhen Khacheridi Dynamo Kiev 17  15 18  15  65 
31 Nicolas N'Koulou Olympique Lyonnais 18  14 16 16  64 
32 Sokratis Borussia Dortmund 17  16 15  15  63 
33 Sergio Ramos Real Madrid 16  15  17 15  63 
34 Javi Martinez Bayern Munich 17  15  15 15  62 
35 Nicolas Otamendi Manchester City 16  16 15  14 61 
36 Jerome Boateng Bayern Munich 18  15  14 14  61 
37 Jonathan Tah Bayern Leverkusen 16  15 16 13  60 
38 Andreas Christensen Borussia Monchengladbach 16  14  15 14  59 
39 Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa Olympique Lyonnais 17  13  15 13  58 
40 Kalidou Koulibaly Napoli 17  14  14 13 58 

Notable Omissions

Defensive Midfielders, Central Midfielders and Central Attacking Midfielders

CARLO HERMANN/Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti was unfortunate to be red-carded against Arsenal on the campaign's first matchday, and UEFA deemed that disciplinary action harsh. European football's governing body rescinded the suspension and allowed the Italy international to play against Ludogorets Razgrad; he took advantage by giving PSG a man-of-the-match performance.

Flying around the pitch making challenges, winning possession and keeping his team on the proverbial front foot, Verratti—despite his diminutive, 5'5" stature—was head and shoulders above the rest and earned the top spot in Week 2's central-midfield rankings.

A close runner-up was Napoli's Marek Hamsik.

The Napoli captain was instrumental to his club's 4-2 victory over Benfica. Scoring once and passing at an 86 percent clip, the 29-year-old is the fulcrum of head coach Maurizio Sarri's Naples outfit. When he plays well, it normally translates to every sector on the pitch, and three points against the Portuguese champions seems evidence.

Manchester City duo David Silva and Fernandinho have different roles in manager Pep Guardiola's midfield, but each provided the Sky Blues with much-needed offence during an entertaining 3-3 contest with Celtic at Celtic Park. The importance of the absent Kevin De Bruyne's creativity from all areas cannot be overstated for Guardiola's men.

Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli did enough to help their team beat CSKA Moscow but were not breathtaking.

Fellow Spurs midfielder Victor Wanyama, however, does seem to be finding his feet in north London. Bought from Southampton in the summer—reuniting with former boss Mauricio Pochettino—his UCL form will be crucial to Spurs having any measurable success moving forward.

      

Grading Scale

Tac: Tackling (graded out of 25)

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Cre: Creativity (graded out of 25)

Pro: Production (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

      

Defensive Midfielder, Central Midfielder and Central Attacking Midfielder Rankings | Matchday 2
Rank Player Club Tac Pas Cre Pro Ovr
1 Marco Verratti Paris Saint-Germain 25 25 23  24  97
2 Marek Hamsik Napoli  22 25  24  25  96 
3 Santi Cazorla Arsenal 21  24  25  24  94 
4 Miralem Pjanic Juventus 20  24  24  25  93 
5 David Silva Manchester City  18 25  25  24  92 
6 Fernandinho Manchester City 24  23  19  25  91 
7 Thomas Delaney  Copenhagen  23 23  23  22 91 
8 Toni Kroos Real Madrid  21 24  24 23  91 
9 William Carvalho Sporting Lisbon  24 21 19 25  89
10 Steven N'Zonzi Sevilla 23 22 20  24  89
11 Gabi Atletico Madrid  22  22 22  22  88
12 Thiago Alcantara Bayern Munich 19  23  23 23  88
13 Anderson Talisca  Besiktas 20  23  22  22  87 
14 Gonzalo Castro Borussia Dortmund 19  22  23  23  87 
15 Danilo Pereira FC Porto  24  20  19  24  87 
16 Hernanes Juventus 23  21 19  23 86 
17 Mario Gotze Borussia Dortmund 18  24  23  21 86 
18 Tiemoue Bakayoko AS Monaco  22  20  21  22 85 
19 Davy Propper PSV Eindhoven  20  22 21  21  84 
20 Luka Modric Real Madrid  19  22 22 21  84 
21 Adrien Silva  Sporting Lisbon  22  21  20  20  83 
22 Mesut Ozil Arsenal  17  23  22  20  82 
23 Daniel Amartey Leicester City  22  18  19  23  82 
24 Mahmoud Dahoud Borussia Monchengladbach  20  20  19  22  81 
25 Nir Bitton Celtic 19  20  20  22 81 
26 Andrea Iniesta Barcelona 17  22  21  20 80 
27 Sami Khedira Juventus 22  19  18  21 80 
28 Ilkay Gundogan Manchester City 19  23  18  20  80 
29 Atiba Hutchinson Besiktas 20 19 19 21 79 
30 Arturo Vidal Bayern Munich 21  20 18 20  79 
31 Ivan Rakitic Barcelona 20  19  17  22  78 
32 Granit Xhaka  Arsenal 20  20  17  21  78 
33 Luka Zuffi FC Basel 19  19  18  22  78
34 Sergio Busquets Barcelona 20  18  17  21 76 
35 Victor Wanyama Tottenham Hotspur 21  18  16  20  75 
36 Kevin Kampl Bayer Leverkusen 19  18  17 21 75 
37 Andre Almeida Benfica 19  17 16  21 73 
38 Tolgay Arslan Besiktas 19  18  17  19 73
39 Benjamin Verbic Copenhagen 17  17  17  22 73 
40 Scott Brown Celtic 20  16 16  19 71 
41 Hakan Calhanoglu Bayer Leverkusen 15  17 19 19 70 
42 Danny Drinkwater Leicester City 17 18 17  18  70 
43 Jorginho Napoli 18 17  15  19  69 
44 Corentin Tolisso Olympique Lyonnais 17 16 17 17 67 
45 Christian Eriksen Tottenham Hotspur 14  18  17  16  65 
46 Thiago Motta Paris Saint-Germain 17  16 14 17  64 
47 Dele Alli Tottenham Hotspur 15 17  16  15  63 
48 Maxime Gonalons Olympique Lyonnais 14  16  16  16  62 
49 James Rodriguez Real Madrid 13  16  16  17  62 
50 Serhiy Rybalka Dynamo Kiev 15  15  15  16  61 
51 Andreas Guardado PSV Eindhoven
 15 16 15 14 60 
52 Julian Weigl Borussia Dortmund 16  15  15  13 59 
53 Charles Aranguiz Bayer Leverkusen 14  14  14 16  58 
54 Pontus Wernbloom CSKA Moscow 15  13  16  14  58
55 Oliver Torres FC Porto 14 14  14  15  57 
56 Marcelinho Ludogorets 12 15  13  15 55 
57 Christian Noboa FC Rostov 13 14  14  14  55 
58 Timofei Kalachev FC Rostov
 12 15 13  14  54 
59 Franco Vazquez Sevilla 14 12 12 15 53
60 Anicet Ludogorets 12 14 14 13 53

Notable Omissions

Right Midfielders, Right-Wingers and Right-Sided Forwards

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

With Barcelona's Messi sidelined through injury, not having the world's (just about consensus) best footballer available left a vacancy atop the midfield's right side, both for his manager, Luis Enrique, and these Champions League rankings.

The man filling Messi's boots from the first round—as the top right-sided player—is Arsenal's Theo Walcott. It might be an aberration, but the England international was splendid against FC Basel for the north Londoners.

Manager Arsene Wenger for around the past half-decade had been trying to make Walcott a centre-forward, but with that mission now Alexis Sanchez's, maybe that pressure being lifted has unleashed the 27-year-old's clinical nature; playing without too many expectations might be just what the Gunners attacker needed.

Trailing Walcott closely are three of his fellow Premier League stars. Raheem Sterling, Erik Lamela and Riyad Marhez gave great accounts of themselves for Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City respectively.

Among the other stars was Ricardo Quaresma. One of the more naturally talented and gifted footballers the game has, the Portuguese's only issue has been consistency—some might argue desire. Bouncing around the continent, Besiktas seems a great fit for the now-33-year-old. Maybe performances such as the one he put in against Dynamo Kiev have come around too late in his career, but it's better late than not at all. 

Ousmane Dembele and Gareth Bale had relatively calm outings when Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid clashed at Westfalenstadion. The Welshman's inventive backheel—albeit deflected by BVB defenders—set up Madrid's opening goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, but the rest of Bale's night was rather benign.

His young French counterpart was lightning in Dortmund's opening group-stage match, but while the intent to cause havoc was evident against Real Madrid, little Dembele did was penetrative; plenty of invention, though, resides in the 19-year-old's boots.

     

Grading Scale

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Cre: Creativity (graded out of 25)

Fin: Finishing (graded out of 25)

Pro: Production (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

     

Right Midfielder, Right-Winger and Right-Sided Forward Rankings | Matchday 2
Rank Player Club Pas Cre Fin Pro Ovr
1 Theo Walcott Arsenal  23  24  25  25  97 
2 Raheem Sterling  Manchester City  23  23  24  25  95 
3 Erik Lamela  Tottenham Hotspur  24  24  23  23  94 
4 Ricardo Quaresma  Besiktas 22  23  24  24  93 
5 Riyad Mahrez Leicester City 23  23  23  22  91 
6 Lucas Moura Paris Saint-Germain 24  23 21  23  91 
7 Samir Nasri Sevilla  24  24  19  22  89 
8 Benjamin Verbic Copenhagen  24 23  18  23  88 
9 Saul Niguez Atletico Madrid  23  23  18  22  86 
10 Jose Callejon Napoli 22  22  17  22  83 
11 Thomas Muller Bayern Munich  22  22  19  20  83 
12 Ousmane Dembele Borussia Dortmund  22  23  17  20  82 
13 Gareth Bale Real Madrid  21  23  18  20  82 
14 Vitolo Sevilla 21  20  17  20 78 
15 Julian Brandt Bayer Leverkusen 20  20  18  19  77 
16 Andriy Yarmolenko Dynamo Kiev 19  21  17  18  75 
17 Gelson Martins  Sporting Lisbon 20  20  15  19  74 
18 Ibrahima Traore Borussia Monchengladbach 19 18  17  18  72 
19 Thomas Lemar AS Monaco  18 18  16  18  70 
20 Andre Andre FC Porto 17 17  15  17  66 
21 James Forrest  Celtic 16  17  16  17  66 
22 Birkir Bjarnason FC Basel 17  16  15  16  64 
23 Virgil Misidjan Ludogorets 16  16  14  17  63 
24 Zoran Tosic CSKA Moscow 18  15  13 16 62 
25 Hans Vanaken Club Brugge 15 16 14  15  60 

        

Notable Omissions

Left Midfielders, Left-Wingers and Left-Sided Forwards

Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Some of the best positional grades for the second round of Champions League group-stage matches come from the left flank. A number of the world's best attacking players enjoy starting positions on the left, and they proved their worth in Europe's top club competition last time out.

Napoli's Dries Mertens was the cream of that particular crop. The dynamic and direct winger was responsible for two of his club's goals during an open 4-2 contest against Benfica.

One man who does not need encouragement from his team-mates, nor seems particularly interested in spurring them on (at least not in constructive ways), is Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Playing an open game opposed one of Europe's more progressive sides in Borussia Dortmund, the Portuguese superstar was in his element—using pace and acute anticipation to get in advantageous scoring positions. BVB's Andre Schurrle robbed Madrid of two points three minutes before the full-time whistle, but Ronaldo's 17th-minute strike was vital to Real getting an away point.

Tottenham Hotspur might have thought their campaign would start stuttering without centre-forward Harry Kane. The opposite has occurred. That resurgence is due in large part to the emergence of Heung-Min Son. The 24-year-old scored the only goal in Spurs' clash with CSKA Moscow, taking three points to bounce back from their loss to AS Monaco in their group-stage opener.

Lastly, Belgium have some exceptional talent. De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and the aforementioned Mertens are just some in a long list, but Atletico Madrid's Yannick Carrasco is steadily climbing the ranks. His winner against Bayern Munich sent a clear message that Simeone's side should not be taken lightly. And neither should he.

        

Grading Scale

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Cre: Creativity (graded out of 25)

Fin: Finishing (graded out of 25)

Pro: Production (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

         

Left Midfielder, Left-Winger and Left-Sided Forward Rankings | Matchday 2
Rank Player Club Pas Cre Fin Pro Ovr
1 Dries Mertens Napoli  24 24  25  25  98 
2 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid  23  24  25  25  97 
3 Heung-Min Son Tottenham Hotspur 22  24  25  25  96 
4 Yannick Carrasco Atletico Madrid 23  24  24  25  96 
5 Angel Di Maria Paris Saint-Germain 24 23  21 23  91 
6 Nolito Manchester City  21  22  23  23  89
7 Neymar Barcelona 22 22  20  23  87 
8 Viktor Tsygankov Dynamo Kiev
 20  20  23  23  86 
9 Blaise Matuidi  Paris Saint-Germain 20  19  23 24  86 
10 Koke Atletico Madrid 21  22  19  22  84 
11 Franck Ribery Bayern Munich 21  21  20  20  82 
12 Vitolo Sevilla 22  19  19  20  80 
13 Scott Sinclair Celtic 20  21  18  21 80 
14 Otavio FC Porto 19  21  19  20  79 
15 Hakan Calhanoglu Bayer Leverkusen 18  19  20  19  76 
16 Joao Moutinho AS Monaco 17  20  19  19 75
17 Alex Iwobi  Arsenal  19  20  16  20 75
18 Rasmus Falk Copenhagen 18  18  17  18  71 
197 Marc Albrighton Leicester City 19  18  16  17 70 
20 Raphael Guerreiro Borussia Dortmund 17  17  16  18 68 
21 Bruno Cesar Sporting Lisbon 18  16  16  16 66 
22 Bernardo Silva AS Monaco 16  17  16  15 64 
23 Jose Izquierdo Club Brugge 15  16  15  16  62 
24 Pizzi Benfica 15  14  14  16  59 
25 Georgi Milanov CSKA Moscow 13  15  14  14  56 

        

Notable Omissions

Strikers and Centre-Forwards

Michael Steele/Getty Images

It was an interesting round for strikers and centre-forwards. Some of Europe's household names failed to get themselves on the scoresheet, but that allowed some lesser known players to climb the rankings.

Brendan Rodgers' Celtic were dismantled at the Camp Nou in their first group-stage fixture, Barcelona beating them 7-0. When playing at home, however, the Scottish champions are a dangerous side. Manchester City found that out, drawing 3-3 at Celtic Park. The Bhoys' star man was summer acquisition Moussa Dembele. The 20-year-old Frenchman scored twice and kept his club within touching distance of the a qualification spot in Group C.

Dembele's opposite number, Sergio Aguero, was one of several high-profile strikers who were just off the pace. The Manchester City talisman, Barcelona's Luis Suarez, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema were all below their usual standards.

One player who turned things around was Edinson Cavani. The Paris Saint-Germain striker wasted chance after chance against Arsenal, but against Ludogorets, the 29-year-old was on song. Scoring twice, Cavani is the competition's joint-top goalscorer, with three goals.

Juventus duo Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain were on target against Dinamo Zagreb. The Argentina internationals scored a goal each, with the former assisting once. Serie A rivals Napoli have similarly found an on-form centre-forward. Higuain's replacement in Naples, former Ajax striker Arkadiusz Milik, scored three goals in the tournament and looked an impressive buy before injury robbed him of further participation.

Arsenal continue to progress with Sanchez at centre-forward. Wenger initially received criticism for using the Chilean star in a foreign position but—as weeks turn to months—Sanchez is looking more comfortable in the role. What this development could mean for Olivier Giroud remains a mystery.

     

Grading Scale

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Cre: Creativity (graded out of 25)

Fin: Finishing (graded out of 25)

Pro: Production (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

     

Striker and Centre-Forward Rankings | Matchday 2
Rank Player Club Pas Cre Fin Pro Ovr
1 Moussa Dembele Celtic 24  24  25  25  98
2 Alexis Sanchez Arsenal 25  25  22  25  97 
3 Paulo Dybala Juventus 23  24  24  25  96
4 Edinson Cavani Paris Saint-Germain  22  23  25  25  95 
5 Dmitry Poloz FC Rostov 21  24  25 25 95 
6 Arkadiusz Milik Napoli 23  23  23  25  94 
7 Thorgan Hazard Borussia Monchengladbach
 22  23  23  24  92 
8 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Borussia Dortmund
 21  22  24  24  91 
9 Javier Hernandez Bayer Leverkusen 20 22  24  24  90 
10 Luuk de Jong PSV Eindhoven 19  21  24  25 89 
11 Gonzalo Higuain Juventus 19  23  23  24  89 
12 Bas Dost Sporting Lisbon 18  22  24  23  87 
13 Federico Santander Copenhagen 19  21 23  24  87 
14 Wissam Ben Yedder Sevilla 18  21 24  23  86 
15 Bryan Ruiz Sporting Lisbon 18  20 23  23  84 
16 Islam Slimani  Leicester City 17  19 22  24  82 
17 Antoine Griezmann Atletico Madrid 21  21 19  19  80 
18 Sardar Azmoun FC Rostov 20  19 19  20  78
19 Goncalo Guedes Benfica 19  21  17  20  77 
20 Luciano Vietto Sevilla 20  20  18  19  77 
21 Luis Suarez Barcelona 19  20  18  18  75 
22 Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich 19  19 18  19  75 
23 Vincent Aboubakar Besiktas  19  18  18  18  73 
24 Sergio Aguero Manchester City  18  19  17  19  73 
25 Andreas Cornelius Copenhagen  17  19  16  17  69 
26 Jonathan Cafu Ludogorets  18  18  16  16  68 
27 Fernando Torres Atletico Madrid  16 18  15  16  65 
28 Maxwel Cornet Olympique Lyonnais  16  19  15  14  64 
29 Karim Benzema  Real Madrid 16  17  14  15  62 
30 Jamie Vardy Leicester City 15  17  15  15  62

           

Notable Omissions

         

Stats and transfer fees via WhoScored.com, Transfermarkt and Soccerbase where not noted.

   

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