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

[arcademik70]

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.

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.

You're right the groups were boring. So there we have it. Same pointless early stage games but more of them.

 

[Frank the Yank]

Eight games to eliminate 12 (33%) of the teams. Think it devalues the games/the competition.

Also I think there will be a ton of dead rubber games probably for some of the elite teams the last two games. I don’t think there’s much of an advantage whether you finish 1 st or 4 th. With the ever packed calendar there will be more of an incentive for teams to field weaker sides the last one or possibly two games. I don’t want to hear clubs crying about on other clubs ,especially City, fielding weakened sides.

 

[Always Ali]

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.

 

[East Level 2]

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.

This has been the case since the group stage was first established. Smaller clubs qualifying get sufficient money to totally distort their domestic leagues.
Look at domestic champions of smaller nations for the past fifteen years and you'll find one team dominates due to money from UEFA. - Even playing in a couple of qualifying rounds can be enough. Valletta in Malta, Copenhagen in Denmark, and I think Debrecen in Hungary are examples. I could add TNS in Wales but I think they also have other sources of income.

 

[i kne albert davy]

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.

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.

 

[Gabriel]

Not that bothered with the new format. Seeing new teams is okay, but I rather miss the opportunity to judge a team and its players on the basis of home and away performances.

 

[City & Blue Brazil]

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.

 

[alexmcity]

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.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Barca might be dark horses for this one this year.

4-1 Bayern followed by 4-0 away to Real!

 

[Gray]

We have 3 extremely hard away matches left.