I know you have quoted "group stage" but there's another 16 play off games after the initial League phase, groups don't count anymore. I think this is where the problem lies, 4 extra games for those teams in 9-24th position is an absolute killer especially if it concerns a team from the most competitive league in Europe, the Premier League.
The Competition could have been a 36 club Champions League League, split into 3 x 12's for coefficient purposes, use the criteria we're now following, each team plays one home and one away from each seeded group, total 6 games, top 12 go through, next 8 play off. That should have proved exciting up to match day 6, with 8 match days there's going to be a lot of dead rubbers with the top teams already qualifying, there will be some shenanigans as teams already through rest their players.
England's teams wi be disadvantaged as there's games in January after a busy December schedule and no mid winter break next season. Depending on our CL position in the League format we may have to play a second string in the FA Cup and the League cup will have to be forfeited from match one by playing an out and out EDL team, no point in not doing so, get the EDL Manager to take care of the game as well.