New Champions League structure

The Cruyff Turn
22

Multiple football houses, multiple interests.

As Klopp once said, he doubts they will ever sit together on a table and make a few decisions for the good of the sport.

3 Likes
23

In what way is this new format any worse than the European Super League? Oh wait, this has been vetted by UEFA so it has to be good and right.

24

The lack of clear information on how this would be structured makes me very suspicious. A true Swiss system tournament has an emergent set of matchups based on performance. It sounds like UEFA are just planning to supplement the usual few “group stage” games against the equivalent of Pot 3 and Pot 4 teams with extra games between the “big” clubs. Hopefully the seeding/matchup methodology is transparent, but it seems like this is just a way for UEFA to cherry-pick whatever they want.

2 Likes
25

Guaranteed qualification for the teams that finish top 8 of the 36-team “group” phase in the next season’s competition + a safety net path in (coefficient) for those teams that don’t qualify based on league position. It’s just the ESL by another name, with a sweetener thrown to the smaller clubs/leagues by letting them in as the rotating supporting cast.

1 Like
26

If it means more competitive matches pre Xmas, I’m in. Group stage is currently pretty average.

Not dropping to Europa - tick. Hate the current system they rewards coming 3rd.

Fat chance if squeezing in more matches unless a few are given up somewhere else. PL won’t reduce so I guess the League Cup is to be renamed League Cup ex Top 4.

More money no doubt for someone is always the reason for these changes…so I guess the qualifying stakes just got higher. Don’t change for next year then.

27

I read somewhere that even if Man U or us finish 7th we still quailify for CL which to me is wrong.
The group stages are crap now with so many poor unheard of teams.
I think when we won it in 19 we lost 3 group games…you get so many chances to qualify for ko stages.
They’d never do it but it should be all out of a hat 2 legged ko games from the start like when it first started. Plus it should be top 2 at most from every league. You can’t have a team finishing 7th and them be in the champions league.

6 Likes
28

Agreed, I would also change it so that only teams that have won their league get guaranteed group stage spots. If you finish 2nd, you need to qualify.

3 Likes
29

I would be for a knock out phase before the group phase to be fair, the way the last 16 is spread out there is a format that is doable there.

3 Likes
30

Oh, and I forgot to add, I would totally seperate C/L and E/L.

If you fail in C/L, tough shit, you don’t deserve a 2nd bite at the apple by dropping into the E/L

2 Likes
31

Yeah that’s the only thing decent about the new thing, no second bites at the Europa League, I get it for those teams in the early rounds of qualifying but once you’ve entered the competition proper you shouldn’t have another opportunity after that.

1 Like
32

Surely not? :thinking:

33

Yup…

34

Not for this coming season (I believe the proposed changes wouldn’t take place until 2024). But the speculation is that the 4 additional teams (32 → 36) would be the 4th placed team in France + the three best clubs based on recent European performance (coefficient, I assume?).

This season, that would have been Arsenal, Tottenham, and Roma (unless there would still be a limit of no more than 5 clubs from one association, in which case replace Tottenham with possibly Benfica).

1 Like
35

The European Commission has done such a bang up job of other stuff recently, why not let them stick their oar into European football as well?

36

Maybe they mean the Conference League.

We might be in it next season, add another European trophy, since we don’t have the Cup Winners’ Cup.

:sunglasses:

1 Like
37
1 Like
38

Excellent… so based on current league positions, we may find ourselves playing in next season’s Europa Conference League.

I for one would be sending the Under 11’s out to play in the qualifier.

1 Like
39

I’d make sure we win the competition, just to add to our European trophy collection.

2 Likes
40

Looking at the other sides in it, the Under 11’s would have a chance.

1 Like
41

Yeah, we have missed out on Cup Winners’ Cup and Europa League.