We’re nonetheless solely two gameweeks into the brand new 36-team, one-group UEFA Champions League format, however it has already precipitated fairly a stir.
Change may be tough to course of for soccer followers, particularly to longstanding mechanisms within the sport, and this newest one has been seismic. In reality, it has ripped up the very material of the competitors. Whether or not you want or hate the adjustments at this early stage, everybody can agree that it nonetheless feels a bit bizarre. However the important thing query is whether or not the pushback we’re seeing from followers is a product of typical, preliminary resistance that can finally soften, or one thing deeper.
Right here, we’ll take every of the main criticisms that we have seen levelled on the new match format (which you’ll be able to see defined right here) and attempt to assess whether or not they’re really legitimate, or only a sign of unfamiliarity that can finally grow to be accepted as time wears on.
1. “It is uncompetitive.”
There have been some unimaginable video games throughout the primary two gameweeks. To namecheck a handful of them: Aston Villa and Lille shocked Bayern Munich and Actual Madrid, respectively; 10-man Juventus roared again to beat RB Leipzig 3-2; and Arsenal dispatched Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 with unerring confidence.
There have been additionally some outright drubbings. Dinamo Zagreb had been thrashed 9-2 by Bayern; Slovan Bratislava misplaced 5-1 to Celtic, then adopted it up with a 4-0 loss to Manchester Metropolis; Celtic went on to lose 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund; whereas Swiss minnows Younger Boys have misplaced 3-0 to Villa and 5-0 to Barcelona.
For some groups, it has been a brutal begin. Within the first 36 video games, there have been 9 wins by a margin of 4+ objectives (and there have been eight within the first 27 video games), which dwarves the numbers we have seen within the final 5 editions of the Champions League throughout the primary two matchdays (two, 4, 4, 5, three). This has led to options that the brand new format has grow to be much less aggressive, however there’s a few issues price making an allowance for right here.
First, two gameweeks is a really small pattern measurement. You will get hints from them, however hardly ever is it advisable to attract conclusions — anybody who works with knowledge would name you mad for doing so. Second, the groups we have namechecked on the mistaken finish of those scorelines are not any strangers to this form of factor.
Take Croatian facet Dinamo Zagreb. They completed final of their group in 2022-23, and final in 2019-20. They certified for the 2016-17 version and did not rating a single aim, whereas conceding 15 to Lyon, Juventus and Sevilla. The yr earlier than that, they beat Arsenal 2-1, however misplaced 3-0, 2-0, 5-0, 1-0 and 2-1 within the different video games.
Younger Boys have additionally perfected the artwork of ending backside of a Champions League group, doing so the final two occasions they certified in 2021-22 and 2018-19. Whereas Serbia’s Crvena Zvezda, who had been overwhelmed 10-2 over two video games towards PSG in 2018-19, misplaced their group video games by an mixture rating of 9-0 to Bayern and Tottenham in 2019-20. Even Celtic, an iconic European title, completed backside of their group the final thrice they’ve certified earlier than this season, twice conceding 15 occasions throughout their six video games and dropping 9-0 on mixture in each video games towards Barcelona.
All of that is to point out, within the context of the size of European soccer, that the great groups are nonetheless good, and the unhealthy groups are nonetheless unhealthy. And unhealthy groups have at all times been current within the Champions League.
Sure, scorelines have flared up sooner than ordinary this season, and it is going to be fascinating to see if that is merely a small pattern measurement or indicative of the very fact the match has grown from 32 to 36 groups this yr, widening the depth of expertise from prime to backside. However within the entirety of the group stage in 2022-23, there have been 16 thrashings by 4+ objectives, and 14 the yr earlier than that, — so we’ll should see if the development continues.
As with every dataset, there have additionally been some anomalies. Younger Boys, who’re thirty sixth within the UCL desk with a -8 aim distinction, received the Swiss Tremendous League in 2024 and beat Galatasaray over two legs in qualifying, however are bizarrely backside of their home league this yr with simply six factors from 9 video games. So you’d count on their kind to show round sooner or later. In the meantime, included within the record of 9 4+ successful margins to date is Benfica’s 4-0 destruction of Spain’s third-best staff Atlético Madrid. No person would have predicted that consequence earlier than the sport. So this may be the largest clue of all that we might be smart to attend and see what unfolds earlier than speeding to judgement.
VERDICT: Wait and see
2:44
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2. “Losses do not matter.”
Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Actual Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Atlético Madrid have all misplaced considered one of their opening two video games. In the meantime, AC Milan and RB Leipzig have misplaced each of their video games to date and are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Crvena Zvezda within the backside third.
That is unhealthy. But the response from followers hasn’t been, which suggests many aren’t satisfied the losses are that expensive at this stage. Given the elevated variety of video games and early really feel to the desk, no single consequence feels terminal proper now. However thankfully, video video games may give us a reference level of what is going to be required to make the highest eight computerized spots.
“Soccer Supervisor” baked the brand new Champions League format into their sport two years in the past, giving us hundreds of simulations to attract upon, and it confirmed that groups are extremely prone to require a minimal of 15 factors. There’s an opportunity that determine may even creep to 16 or 17, too. So if we take 16 as the center goal, meaning you could tick alongside at a mean of two factors per sport to make it.
Now rethink the truth that Bayern have already misplaced to a Pot 4 facet (Villa), and face Barcelona, Benfica and PSG within the months to return. Add to that the very fact Actual Madrid have misplaced to a Pot 3 facet (Lille) and have Dortmund, AC Milan, Liverpool and Atalanta on the horizon. Which means there’s already little or no margin for error for these two titans, as they’ve already dropped three factors and are nonetheless as a consequence of play two Pot 1 fixtures and two Pot 2 fixtures.
Take into account the factors goal, the fixture record and the bottom already misplaced … and these early losses tackle a unique complexion.
For Europe’s established juggernauts, the previous Champions League group stage was typically about attending to 10 factors after which assessing what was wanted to complete prime and safe a (theoretically) simpler knockout draw. Now, it is a battle of attrition towards 10+ foes; if you cannot churn out the wins now, you would possibly pay for it in February.
VERDICT: Unfair
3. “It is a goals-scored competitors.”
There isn’t any escaping {that a} single 36-team desk appears weird. Nevertheless, splitting it horizontally into 4 sections helps massively on the subject of outlining the totally different qualification zones and the place groups stand.
However one curious criticism from followers is the accusation that the Champions League has became a contest that rewards the variety of objectives scored. That is doubtless as a result of the highest seven within the desk are all on six factors and are separated by aim distinction and objectives scored proper now.
That is clearly one other quirk of the very fact we’re solely two gameweeks into the marketing campaign; it’s extremely unlikely that even one staff wins all eight video games — not to mention seven of them.
Within the previous format, with eight totally different teams of 4, no-one would have batted an eyelid if seven groups received their opening two fixtures as a result of they weren’t being immediately in contrast collectively. As ever, factors gained would be the actual separator, with aim distinction kicking in to divide a handful of golf equipment if wanted.
It is also price highlighting that an incentive to attain as many objectives as doable is definitely good for the sport. Followers love seeing objectives and, as illustrated earlier, we’re seeing a lot proper now.
Whereas the desk could not make nice studying for these whose golf equipment discover themselves in a tough place, neutrals ought to be inspired by the truth that three of the seven excellent groups (Brest, Villa, Bayer Leverkusen) weren’t even within the Champions League final season. It is contemporary, it is totally different, and it piles strain on those that haven’t began properly.
VERDICT: Unfair
1:04
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4. “There are too many video games.”
Essentially the most disappointing side of this new format for some followers is the way it has added extra video games to an already stacked calendar.
There are actually eight matches as an alternative of six within the group stage, and any staff putting ninth to twenty fourth should play twice extra in a playoff to achieve the Spherical of 16. Finally, these groups can have performed 10 video games to get there — whereas within the previous format, it could have been simply six. And, within the occasion a playoff staff go on to win the Champions League, they’re going to have performed 17 video games in complete — which might have been simply 13 final yr.
Moreover, each staff will play twice through the switch window in January. And that’s simply bizarre.
It is quite a bit. And it comes at a time the place some gamers have brazenly spoken about the opportunity of happening strike as a result of variety of video games. Certainly, Manchester Metropolis’s Rodri and Actual Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois have confirmed that the gamers’ union, FIFPRO, have filed a authorized declare towards FIFA on this matter.
Maybe the true driving pressure for this was the revealing of the brand new 32-team FIFA Membership World Cup, set to happen in summer season 2025, alongside laws designed to cease golf equipment leaving their finest gamers at dwelling. However UEFA sneaking further video games into the brand new Champions League format can have been an element too.
This one is just about indefensible.
VERDICT: Truthful
2:15
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5. “Enjoying eight totally different opponents is an excessive amount of.”
The previous group-stage format gave groups simply three opponents to play twice, dwelling and away. Now it is eight opponents they usually’re all totally different; there is no return fixture to contemplate, a for much longer record of fixtures to recollect, and extra of a carbon footprint concerned in attending to all of them.
The constructive is that it provides nice selection to the fixture record. If UEFA’s aim was to take away early parts of repetition in video games and create a extra overarching continental really feel to groups’ experiences within the match, they’ve definitely hit that transient.
The detrimental is that it leaves followers unable to benchmark their staff’s potential progress to the knockout phases early on, as it is very tough for anybody to determine who they’re purported to be competing with within the desk. There’s additionally one thing odd a couple of league of groups whose factors tallies compete towards one another, however who do not all play towards one another. Maybe some followers additionally miss the “grudge match” component of a return fixture in a gaggle too, which is perpetually gone now.
VERDICT: Wait and see
6. “The draw was horrible.”
For many who had been sceptical of the brand new format, watching an abomination of a draw course of will not have helped one bit. Clearly, the brand new format is extra technical to attract out and much much less suited to UEFA’s conventional methodology of broadcasting.
However what we witnessed was a large number that was so robust to observe, even Cristiano Ronaldo persistently slamming a large button again and again could not put it aside.
UEFA cannot conduct the draw privately and relay the outcomes later, as there would inevitably be accusations of fixing, however they’ve a yr to determine a unique method to make the draw broadcastable. The primary effort was stunning.
VERDICT: Truthful
