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

[flook]

still shit

 

[law74]

Benefits of the new system...travelling fans MIGHT get to visit a country or city they haven't visited before.
Drawbacks..too many to mention like meaningless games, mismatches, extra games and travelling for already overplayed players, loss of interest from fans, extra cost for fans already feeling the pinch.
And as I type, Atalanta have just scored a third away too Donestk

 

[Cumbie Blue]

Think there is less jeopardy, especially for the 'middle' level teams like Atalanta and sporting.
They know they won't get top 8 and won't be bottom 8 so can just play their games knowing they will almost certainly be in the play off rounds.
In the old format, they would have been fighting to finish 2nd instead of 3rd.

See that was the best thing about the 4 team group. Anything could happen and it did. I've Rangers friends up here who still shudder at the 2009 CL campaign, so close for the Romanians and lets not forget APOEL from our bow in the competition 2011/12 as well. I just don't feel this new format at all. No pressure after a draw at home with Inter, no fear about the return fixture, plenty of games to turn it around. Maybe it will liven up for me com match day 6.

 

[City & Blue Brazil]

It's all that Uefa are interested in - more games, more money, fuck the fans 'n fuck the players.

Tbf it's all that the clubs are interested in as well .

 

[domalino]

still shit

What did you expect?

The formats strengths and weaknesses are really clear. We get more unique games instead of drawing the same teams every year, there’s a much better chance of smaller teams getting into the last 16, and there should be some last-day-of-the-season bedlam across the last few match days.

The negatives are more games against weaker opposition and the longer format means it’ll take longer to get interesting.


We won’t really be able to assess this format for ~5 years, when there’s been a chance for those weaker teams to reap the financial rewards and get better, and hopefully make some deep runs to break up the monotony of the last 8 in the previous format.

 

[Cobwebcat]

When it gets to the last 16 it will be no different from the previous version. This opening phase is bloody pointless.

I mean games 5 onwards in this phase.

 

[domalino]

See that was the best thing about the 4 team group. Anything could happen and it did. I've Rangers friends up here who still shudder at the 2009 CL campaign, so close for the Romanians and lets not forget APOEL from our bow in the competition 2011/12 as well. I just don't feel this new format at all. No pressure after a draw at home with Inter, no fear about the return fixture, plenty of games to turn it around. Maybe it will liven up for me com match day 6.

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The problem is you had to go back 12 years to find an example, and since then the concentration of money at the top of European football has just accelerated so these kind of groups were becoming once in a decade events.

 

[jaiguruKun]

The group stage wasn't perfect but I don't see how this new format solves anything. There are still plenty of meaningless matches and I haven't noticed an increased number of "big" clubs playing each other.

 

[Cobwebcat]

What did you expect?

The formats strengths and weaknesses are really clear. We get more unique games instead of drawing the same teams every year, there’s a much better chance of smaller teams getting into the last 16, and there should be some last-day-of-the-season bedlam across the last few match days.

The negatives are more games against weaker opposition and the longer format means it’ll take longer to get interesting.


We won’t really be able to assess this format for ~5 years, when there’s been a chance for those weaker teams to reap the financial rewards and get better, and hopefully make some deep runs to break up the monotony of the last 8 in the previous format.

Agreed. Let’s be honest most posters on BM are traditionalists and would go back to a straight knock out of domestic league winners where City go out to Real Madrid in the first round who then go on to beat Honved 10-0 in the Final. We live in a bit of a bubble. Your positives and negatives is a very fair summary.

 

[M23 Citizen]

It's all that Uefa are interested in - more games, more money, fuck the fans 'n fuck the players.

Don’t let the clubs off mate. I reckon UEFA are only doing what the clubs push them to.

Every boardroom is as bad as each other. They also think ‘fuck the fans n fuck the players’.

At no point were any fans, players or coaches consulted over these changes. We’re the ones paying to watch the games, the players are the ones playing in them and the coaches preparing the players… while the boardrooms and UEFA count the beans.

Gündoğan came out when these changes were announced a few years ago and said something along the lines of, ‘I don’t know why they’re making changes, I love playing in the Champions League as it is’.