I just saw the draw and I have absolutely no clue whatsoever how this is supposed to make sense. This seems like the least equitable solution possible.
24/25 Champions League - Now with More Inequality
- Thread starter SocrManiac
- Start date
The theory is that everyone plays an equitable schedule, one home and one away from each pot. Thus, you can compare the points total of all 36 teams and decide who advances. Of course, there are flaws because there can be huge disparity between the quality of two teams in the same point, but having played it on FM for a while, I don't mind it. It usually is more interesting that the old CL groups which were mostly decided by match week 4 or 5.
UEFA makes more money and increases claims in unfairness. Sounds about right to me. It’s “whatever” to me honestly. The biggest clubs get an even better shot, but it’s not like Betis were ever going to win a Champions League anyways.
Glad to see Bratislava make it, just wish Hertha qualified too just so we could flood the thread with awful Eurotrip quotes.
Glad to see Bratislava make it, just wish Hertha qualified too just so we could flood the thread with awful Eurotrip quotes.
I thought about this, as well.
On matchday 7 and especially 8, there should be many great scenes and last-minute dramas. I wonder if they schedule every match in matchday8 at the same time, or at least those games where teams are in the danger zone of straight advancing or straight dropping out. I guess Almost every team (i guess 25 out of 36) will have sonething to Play for in matchday 8.
Fortunately, we have a transcript of the meeting, so we know exactly how it got added.
UEFA Official 1: So we're adding a bunch of mid-tier teams to Champions League this year so we have more games.
UEFA Official 2: Why would we do that? It's named Champions League. We don't want to water down the competition with extra teams.
UEFA Official 1: Well, extra teams mean more games and more money.
UEFA Official 2: Right now the format is perfect with 4 teams to a group and each play a home and away. The matches are competitive and only the best teams play. And the more games that teams play the more the best players that will wear down. I don't think this is a good idea.
UEFA Official 1: Under your seat is a briefcase with 10 million euros and a key to a villa on the Caribbean coast.
UEFA Official 2: I'll write up the press release.
UEFA Official 1: So we're adding a bunch of mid-tier teams to Champions League this year so we have more games.
UEFA Official 2: Why would we do that? It's named Champions League. We don't want to water down the competition with extra teams.
UEFA Official 1: Well, extra teams mean more games and more money.
UEFA Official 2: Right now the format is perfect with 4 teams to a group and each play a home and away. The matches are competitive and only the best teams play. And the more games that teams play the more the best players that will wear down. I don't think this is a good idea.
UEFA Official 1: Under your seat is a briefcase with 10 million euros and a key to a villa on the Caribbean coast.
UEFA Official 2: I'll write up the press release.
The other factor that will make this really interesting is that the top 8 teams in this stage not only avoid the playoff round but are seeded into the knockout bracket tennis style. #1 won’t be able to play #2 until the final, #3-4 are guaranteed to avoid 1 and 2 until the semifinal, etc.
There’s no guarantee that the consensus favorites like Real Madrid and Man City will end the league phase on top of the table of course. But there will be a lot of intrigue and calculation involved as the top of the table gets clarified over time.
There’s no guarantee that the consensus favorites like Real Madrid and Man City will end the league phase on top of the table of course. But there will be a lot of intrigue and calculation involved as the top of the table gets clarified over time.
PSG drew arguably the top two teams in both pot 1 and pot 2. Hell of a way to start the post-Mbappe era.
And two of the best three from Pot 4. And maybe the two best from Pot 3.
Woof.
Edit: They should still win their league in a walk, which will give them a chance to put out strong mid-week sides
UEFA needs Scott Hanson to handle a Goal Zone when this happens.
I’m open to a dramatic change. The group stage drama was dead for decades.
Joe Speight and Don Hutchinson
Also, thought this was supposed to be the Swiss system like how chess tournaments work
This isn't what I had in mind when they called it Swiss system similar to chess Explained: The Champions League draw, the Swiss Model, and how selection is going digital - The Athletic (nytimes.com)
I guess I was expecting something more like this, although in hindsight, it's hard to schedule not knowing which teams will win
Obviously the primary goal of the new system is to increase the number of group/league stage matches by 50%, and everything must be viewed in that context. However, it does seem to good idea.
Playing six matches to rank four clubs in a group was a very boring system. There was not much drama left on the sixth matchday. The new league system has two advantages over this. First, you get a better variety of matches, including pot one teams playing each other before the knockout. You also create three cliffs: one for byes, another for knockouts, and a third for Europa, whereas in the old system first was often no better than second.
Playing six matches to rank four clubs in a group was a very boring system. There was not much drama left on the sixth matchday. The new league system has two advantages over this. First, you get a better variety of matches, including pot one teams playing each other before the knockout. You also create three cliffs: one for byes, another for knockouts, and a third for Europa, whereas in the old system first was often no better than second.
Bump.
First set of matches today.
the early games are Juventus leading PSV 2-0 and Villa up on Young Boys by same score.
First set of matches today.
the early games are Juventus leading PSV 2-0 and Villa up on Young Boys by same score.
He is unkillable. He'll probably be doing the commentary for the Juve club streams in 25 years.
Raphael Leao stopped complaining about not getting the ball just long enough to pull the chair on a defender and blast a shot off the post.
Celtic up 1-0 at half, with several other great chances.
Also, I did not realize Schmeichel went to Celtic.
Also, I did not realize Schmeichel went to Celtic.
You can only play your next opponent and the result will shake out. Not sure what your point is.
Great result for Celtic. Tougher tasks to come but it's great to see the Bhoys banging in the goals and giving the fans a great night.
Yep, at least you’re self aware of the task at hand. Shit loads of work to do against much better teams in this format.
IDK man, when was the last time Celtic wrecked someone in the Champions League like that?
Obviously Celtic are going to face tougher opponents and are unlikely to make the knock-out stage, but for the next week they can look at the table and see themselves ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, etc.
I think it's more likely than unlikely ( to make knockout stage). The board have backed the manager to an extent that hasn't been seen since the Martin O' Neil days. The squad is a lot deeper than previous years where the bench had a precipitous fall off in quality when compared to the starters. The draw has been very kind to them, Bratislava was widely regarded as being the weakest team in the tournament. It was notable, if you watched the Slovan players during the lineup and playing the Champs league theme, that their players were smiling and kind of looking at each other when the fans were roaring during the music at certain points. In other words they looked just happy to be there. I said at the time to a friend of mine that Celtic were going to score at least 4.
They haven't drawn the really heavy hitters in the one seed brackets and they have 3 games left at home. According to some stats that the BBC brought out last night, 16 points 98% chance of top 8, 15 points 73% chance of top 8. To make it through to knock out phase....as in top 24 finish....10 points 99% chance, 9 points - 69% chance. So.....I think Celtic getting 10 points is very doable compared to other years. They have a team set up to counter attack and few teams will face a faster attacking 3 starters than Celtic's. So I can see them getting points away from home. Now, of course I could be wrong, and I'm curious to see how this post ages come the end of January...but there's an expectation about this team with fans, rather than just hope. I think they can get 7 more points...some will disagree.
Liverpool with the early (deserved) lead over Bologna - I’ve seen more back heels and Cruyff turns in 15 minutes than a dozen EPL games
Lille 1-0 Real.
Villa survive a crazy finish to edge Bayern. Benfica obliterated Atletico 4-0. Juve was 2-1 down and down to 10 but came back to lead Leipzig 3-2 in stoppage time.
Villa survive a crazy finish to edge Bayern. Benfica obliterated Atletico 4-0. Juve was 2-1 down and down to 10 but came back to lead Leipzig 3-2 in stoppage time.
Leipzig still throwing everything they've got to try to get it back level (unless I'm way more behind than I realized).
Yeah, I edited the post when I realized they had close to 10 minutes of stoppage time.
Leipzig had about 12 chances to equalize in that stoppage time, but Juve held on.
