Time will tell but neither are in trouble, there's absolutely no jeopardy unfortunately. It's like saying you actually think Brest will ends up in the top 8. Just not happening.A bet at least one top team won’t make it. Bayern for one are in big trouble, PSG too.Nowhere near as boring as the old groups.
This has been the case since the group stage was first established. Smaller clubs qualifying get sufficient money to totally distort their domestic leagues.I think the prize money being offered is a game changer for the smaller clubs
Each win will earn them €400,000, while draws will give them around €133,000.
Shamrock Rovers won the other night and have mow earned more than they have ever done and still have 5 matches to go.
The thing is it will always produce more as the tv and sponsorship money flows in, us who attend these games are the minor contributors now I'm afraid.As others have alluded to, it's really no different from the previous format, and the lack of jeopardy (for the "elite" teams at least) is what kills it. Wednesday night v SP was so dull, only broken up by a couple of decent City moments. It's not the clubs/players fault, but the format is all about the money and squeezing the cash cow until it can produce no more. Shite.
Not sure how you can come to the conclusion it's not ghe clubs/players fault. Who do you think is pushing uefa to generate more and more money if it's not the clubs and indirectly the players who want ever increasing wages. The players moan about playing too many games but I doubt many would take a pay cut to play less games.As others have alluded to, it's really no different from the previous format, and the lack of jeopardy (for the "elite" teams at least) is what kills it. Wednesday night v SP was so dull, only broken up by a couple of decent City moments. It's not the clubs/players fault, but the format is all about the money and squeezing the cash cow until it can produce no more. Shite.
I doubt it's mathematically possible to guarantee a top 8 finish with 2 games to spare, especially when 1 of the 6 games was a draw.I prefer this format. 7 different teams vs 3. And some of the teams are top: Inter, PSG, Juventus. In the previous format we played weaker "top" teams.
If we make the top 8 with 2 games to spare, then McAtee and other youngsters will have the opportunity to start CL games, which will be great for them. Hopefully Bobb will be ready in January too. More games for our squad players isn't a bad thing. They want to feature more often.
16 points probably not enough ,even if it is there is no way of knowing until the games have all been played. Plus 6 points away at Sporting, Juventus ,won’t be the easiest task.I doubt it's mathematically possible to guarantee a top 8 finish with 2 games to spare, especially when 1 of the 6 games was a draw.
Finishing higher in the group also gets you a better fixture in the next round so will be going all out to finish as high as possible.
I doubt it's mathematically possible to guarantee a top 8 finish with 2 games to spare, especially when 1 of the 6 games was a draw.
Finishing higher in the group also gets you a better fixture in the next round so will be going all out to finish as high as possible.
So we have two groups of complaints here:
One group are moaning that it is not restricted to national league champions.
The other group are whinging that there are too many crap teams included such as Sparta Prague, Slovan Bratislava, and Club Brugge (all national champions).
I think that the new format is refreshing although the extra two matches is a problem.
The old format tended to bring the same clubs up in the draw year after year. Remember getting CSKA, Bayern Munich, Monchengladbach, Napoli, etc. on multiple occasions?
The new format adding a couple of extra two (maybe four?) CL fixtures, when combined with the expanded Club World Cup makes it difficult to sustain the current domestic schedule.
The EPL, UEFA, and FIFA have created this between them. In don’t know what the solution will be?
Agree it’s growing on me too. I already like that we don’t play the same three teams twice, it was getting boring. Just looking through the fixtures there are some great matches this week like Inter v Arsenal.I like this format.
8 teams to play to qualify. Game weeks 7 and 8 are going to be really exciting with a few strong teams surprisingly unable to qualify.
As the game weeks tick by the stress of trying to qualify, especially the top 8 places will be huge in my humble opinion.
It’s the first season in this league format. Let’s give it a chance and enjoy the scramble for placings and seedings for the knockout stages. You only have to look at Real Madrid last match day. 2-0 down at half time to Dortmund and languishing way down the league. The fact that it galvanised Real Madrid into a 2nd half blitz of attacking football and 5 goals. Amazing !
I’m loving it so far!