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

[cmcm0808]

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.

Some of our early groups were pretty tough. One year Real Madrid, Dortmund, City and Ajax were all in the same group. All of which were Champions of their respective league.

I think even Mancini's City team would have made top 24 in this new format.

 

[Gray]

Not having to play a team Home and Away in the group (League) stage is a plus.

But 8 (possibly 10) games to get to the last 16 is no improvement whatsoever.

We all know what it is about purely and simply MONEY.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

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.

Just wait until they do the 'draw' for 9th to 24th....I'm looking forwards to seeing a Juve v A Mardid. We'll never see that kind of game in the preliminary knockout round tho.

 

[waspish]

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.

I've posted similar before Villa first time in champs league and it's all changed they got a very good draw now look like finishing top 8 they been very lucky it has changed!

You never know though they might of done well in the old format the way they are playing under Emery

 

[KS55]

A nonsensical format, designed only to increase the money.

 

[city warrior]

The lack of jeopardy is becoming more apparent. Bayern Munich have lost 2 out of 3 games and are still in the top 24. Had they lost 2 out of 3 in the old four team group stage they would be in danger of not qualifying for the knockout stages.

Such a non-sense comment. Bayern haven't lost a group stage match in like 10 years, until this year. Why? Because now, everyone has to play really competitive matches.

If you are fan of football, and not only of one club, this is a FAR BETTER group stages. These last two days, we had Leipzig- Liverpool, Bayern-Barca, Madrid - Dortmund, Juve - Stuttgart, Atletico- Lille... all matches that were highly entertaining and really competitive.

There are several objective truths:

1. We have never had as many entertaining matches before between elite teams.
2. We have never had teams like City, Madrid, Bayern, Liverpool... having to fight and to put their best teams in the last 2 matches of the group stages.
3. Teams cannot speculate because the system is too chaotic. A team cannot go for a draw like before because of the league format.

Since Pep was here, I only remember 4 interesting group stage matches: Dortmund home (away we were both qualified), Leipzig away, PSG away and at home. Just this year, we already had a great match against Inter, and we still have Sporting, Juve and PSG away.

 

[Shaelumstash]

I tell you what would be miles better.

The top 16 teams in Europe. 4 groups of 4.

Every game matters.

 

[arcademik70]

Not a single top seed team will fail to get to the last 16. Not a single decent team from pot 2 will fail to get through. More games. Same boring shit. League is a farce and just isn't a point of comparison. Not sure if it happens but after 4 games every team should have played a team from pots 1, 2, 3 and 4. At least we'd have something to go off then.

 

[blueparrot]

Not a single top seed team will fail to get to the last 16. Not a single decent team from pot 2 will fail to get through. More games. Same boring shit. League is a farce and just isn't a point of comparison. Not sure if it happens but after 4 games every team should have played a team from pots 1, 2, 3 and 4. At least we'd have something to go off then.

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.

 

[Gazza]

Two extra games were added for more revenue for each team but if you fail to get into the top eight then you have to play another two extra games to qualify - so failure earns more money.