New CL Format Thoughts | After GW2 (pg13) | GW3 (pg33)

[paulchapo]

I thought there were very few touristy types last night.

Really? I don't get to many champions league games these days but when I do it's usually full of them. This wasn't a glamour tie so maybe it would probably attract less. Was it priced a lot cheaper so therefore gave local fans a chance to get tickets to watch us live?

 

[mexico1970]

If one of the 'big guns' don't make it through they will fine tune it with a WILD CARD directive based on 'istory or some made up coefficient shit.

 

[Manchester33]

It just all has a feeling of just not really mattering though. If somebody good misses out on top 8 and they come say, 10th... oh well... they get seeded against 22nd or something and have to beat somebody like Club Brugge over two legs. Which they probably win. There's just no jeopardy in it.

Even in the old format it wasn't interesting until the last 16 when we might come across a half decent team, and that's still true - except now we have to put up with 10 rounds of fixtures against the likes Bratislava. It's a drag.

Sure, we will play PSG and Inter Milan, but as demonstrated already, winning those games has never really been less important. In the old groups of 4, losing home and away to a team like that could be terminal.

I think that's a fair assessment. My counter-argument is that we are in unchartered territory here, so it might feel like these games don't matter right now. But come match day 7/8, there might be a few clubs who are kicking themselves (Bayern/PSG especially).

As things currently stand (I know it's only been three games), the knockout would include ties like Barca vs. Bayern and PSG vs. Juventus. In an already congested season, Arsenal would have to play two extra games against Girona, a decent Spanish side. That's a nightmare for five of the biggest clubs.

Real Madrid,the biggest club, wouldn't make the top eight.

Also, Leipzig, Milan, and Atleti will be eliminated!!

If we see drama like that this year, clubs (and fans) will feel a higher sense of jeopardy in these early games next season. So I do think this format has legs and definitely has potential to be better than the previous group stages.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Really? I don't get to many champions league games these days but when I do it's usually full of them. This wasn't a glamour tie so maybe it would probably attract less. Was it priced a lot cheaper so therefore gave local fans a chance to get tickets to watch us live?

I don't know. It was only my take from Colin Bell Upper Tier. Most of the regulars were there but I didn't notice many of the usual Asian half and half scarfers waving their cameras around.

 

[I'm not really here]

I thought there were very few touristy types last night.

I agree, the atmosphere was still dire. But enjoyed the night though

 

[Stephen230]

Reality is, when you’re as good as City are at the minute, any group format you can think of is going to be a boring, no jeopardy, stroll to the knock out stages.

If this was the Mancini days, when getting out of the group was considered a major achievement, we would have been in a better position to judge if it’s an improvement or not.

But hard to say when both formats are almost certainly going to produce the same predictable outcome.

 

[blueparrot]

Still think it's better than the old groups less predictable.Not sure how anyone can say less jeopardy,i for instance you take the table as it is there are a lot of good teams between 8 and 24 that would be looking at 2 legs with plenty of jeopardy,reckon Milan, Lepzig Atletico and can see their fair share of jeopardy too.

 

[hammocity]

With us being top of UEFA's coefficients we're not getting any benefit from the success we've had under the previous format. However Villa who are way down the rankings have benefited a lot. They probably have a set of easier fixtures than we do.

When we first won the League we didn't get in Pot 1 for the following season's CL, that was changed to Pot 1 teams being the CL winners and the league winners from the highest ranked European Leagues.

Now we've got the highest ranking it's been changed again. I think teams shouldn't play others from the same pot, there has to be some reward for winning a domestic league.

 

[hammocity]

get two more wins then play the kids. It's a stupid format, it needs to be top 8 get through only. Then things would really spice up

No way will 13 points get top 8 to automatically qualify for the knock out stage. Play kids and we'll end up playing a two legged qualifier with senior players required. Also, we're down to the kids at the moment, we'd used all our senior players last night, not that we could have used them but our only unused subs were Carson and Ederson.

 

[BerkshireBlue]

No way will 13 points get top 8 to automatically qualify for the knock out stage. Play kids and we'll end up playing a two legged qualifier with senior players required. Also, we're down to the kids at the moment, we'd used all our senior players last night, not that we could have used them but our only unused subs were Carson and Ederson.

against some other dross team though. You only need to get to 24th in the league and then start to play after that. I'd rather not bother with the first 8 games for fatigue reasons and then go all out for the knockouts