New Champions League format from 2024

[lcfc_forever]

Sounds like there is some pressure from the other clubs to tweak the new Champions League format. Let's hope UEFA remove those 2 spots based on historical performance:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/21/uefa-could-be-forced-to-alter-champions-league-plans-amid-backlash-super-league

[Heathrow fox]

The CL need a complete overhaul regardless.It has ruined domestic football on the continent with the way it hands out the prize money.Thid has resulted in many leagues having one or two teams dominate.It has also lead to the bigger clubs becoming so addicted to the €€€ that they were prepared to shaft the entire system.

[Aus Fox]

4 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

Interesting post on Reddit about the new format with some examples of how the new format would work:

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/mvhslm/ucl_2024_reform_how_it_works_and_why_its_actually

 

 

Here would be an example of how the draw could work if it the league stopped today. So in this example we'd be in Inter's column and play all of the teams there once for a total of 10 games. So we'd play Inter, Juventus and PSG once each among others in the third row. Note though that every team in the competition actually plays a unique set of 10 games (!), no 2 teams play exactly the same number of fixtures. 

 

PSG games	Liverpool Games	Inter Games	Red Star Games
h. Bayern (1)	a. Atletico (1)	h. PSG (1)	a. ManUnited (1)
a. Real (1)	h. Bayern (1)	a. Juventus (1)	h. Barcelona (1)
h. Benfica (2)	a. ManUnited (1)	h. Seville (1)	a. Liverpool (2)
a. Zenit (2)	h. Ajax (2)	a. Borussia (2)	h. Lyon (2)
h. Chelsea (2)	a. Borussia (2)	h. Zenit (2)	a. Porto (2)
a. Inter (3)	h. Olympiakos (3)	a. Leipzig (3)	h. Besiktas (3)
h. Monaco (3)	a. Sporting (3)	h. Kiev (3)	a. Monaco (3)
a. PSV (3)	h. Wolfsburg (4)	a. Lille (4)	h. Villareal (3)
h. Brugges (4)	a. Brugges (4)	h. Leicester (4)	a. Rangers (4)
a. Milan AC (4)	h. Red Star (4)	a. Wolfsburg (4)	h. Frankfurt (4)

 

Now I am certainly not justifying the changes to the format, but it's quite interesting to see it pan out. Of course it still has big problems:

 

1. "Merit" qualification for some teams. In this case Dortmund and Liverpool would qualify despite not finishing in the top 4 positions.

 

2. The number of games could lead to a lot of dead rubber matches. Let's say a team loses all 4 of their opening games, what do they do for the remaining 6? Most likely play second string players and youth players. Qualification to the next round is available for 24 of the 36 teams so that should keep it reasonably competitive, but you've still got a lot of dead rubber matches lined up there.

 

3. 10 games for just the group stages is a lot. How do you possibly maintain a squad for that number of games, plus domestic league, plus two domestic cup trophies? 

 

 

Anyway I found it interesting to read the article mentioned above. 

This is where it becomes strange and unfair as the draw and how the fixtures pan out becomes the deciding factor on who goes through.

If teams are not playing the same fixtures determining who is the best team becomes a challenge. 
Some teams will get easier draws than others, some will end up playing their last 2 or 3 games against weaker opponents- due to teams already winning the group or being eliminated.

The whole concept doesn’t work for me, and like the two group stages they tried before I expect it to last only a season or two.

[ARM1968]

It will be pants because it is pants. I don’t get how the big teams always complain about too many games and here are UEFA cramming in a load more games. Just stupid really. 

Edited 21 April 2021 by ARM1968

[urban.spaceman]

3 hours ago, lcfc_forever said:

Sounds like there is some pressure from the other clubs to tweak the new Champions League format. Let's hope UEFA remove those 2 spots based on historical performance:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/21/uefa-could-be-forced-to-alter-champions-league-plans-amid-backlash-super-league

Will be interesting to see what happens now those clubs have left the ECA. There’s been plenty of fury from the English clubs about the duplicity of the sinister six to have been planning this nonsense in secret while still attending meetings and being privy to sensitive information; I’d imagine it’s the same for the clubs in the ECA who weren’t invited. Not sure what power they actually have though. I’d imagine everyone’s just furious about it and wants to punish them. Reverting back to the old system that they campaigned against would be a good start

[Spudulike]

Really struggling to understand this but from this BBC article it seems that from next season the Merseyside Reds will get UCL qualification even if they don't finish in the top 4 due to previous Euro history. That can't be right, can it? 

[Scotch]

10 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Really struggling to understand this but from this BBC article it seems that from next season the Merseyside Reds will get UCL qualification even if they don't finish in the top 4 due to previous Euro history. That can't be right, can it? 

If they have the highest coefficient of any team not to qualify then yes...

[Spudulike]

13 minutes ago, Foxy_Bear said:

If they have the highest coefficient of any team not to qualify then yes...

So if this was the format for this season, then as things stand West Ham in 4th place would drop into the Europa League to be replaced by the Merseyside Reds? Shite. 

 

European Super League Q&A: Why it failed - and will clubs try again? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56824628

 

[Scotch]

3 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

So if this was the format for this season, then as things stand West Ham in 4th place would drop into the Europa League to be replaced by the Merseyside Reds? Shite. 

 

European Super League Q&A: Why it failed - and will clubs try again? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56824628

 

I'm not actually sure if they replace someone or if the go in additionally. I was never clear on that. 

[Simmo86]

1 minute ago, Foxy_Bear said:

I'm not actually sure if they replace someone or if the go in additionally. I was never clear on that. 

Nobody gets replaced, if West Ham finish 4th they get CL.

 

But say Liverpool finished 6th and Crystal Palace 5th. Liverpool would get a CL spot based on historic coefficient, whilst Palace would be in the Europa.

[Inglesra]

I can’t help but feel that all the talk about ESL has been some smoke and mirrors to take the focus off the new format for the Champions League, especially the wild card proposals. Me thinks they’re hoping we’ll all forget about this load of rubbish after the ESL proposals. They gave in too easy in my mind. Must be something more going on.

[Frank Large's Black Book]

I may have this wrong but.......

 

Qualification via historic coefficient would mean that Liverpool (for instance) could influence who qualifies on merit by picking a strong or weak team against specific teams and effectively throwing a match. Us or anyone else could be denied not only qualification but improving our coefficient. Closed shop again.

 

Can't be right.

[Lambert09]

1 hour ago, Simmo86 said:

Nobody gets replaced, if West Ham finish 4th they get CL.

 

But say Liverpool finished 6th and Crystal Palace 5th. Liverpool would get a CL spot based on historic coefficient, whilst Palace would be in the Europa.

What if it was this season, and say arsenal win EL and Chelsea CL. Is there still a maximum of 5 clubs from England allowed? Because you’d boil pi** if you came 4th got knocked out but they let in the coefficient side anyway 

[Simmo86]

27 minutes ago, Lambert09 said:

What if it was this season, and say arsenal win EL and Chelsea CL. Is there still a maximum of 5 clubs from England allowed? Because you’d boil pi** if you came 4th got knocked out but they let in the coefficient side anyway 

That’s a great point tbf. I don’t  how that would work 

[davieG]

19 hours ago, ARM1968 said:

It will be pants because it is pants. I don’t get how the big teams always complain about too many games and here are UEFA cramming in a load more games. Just stupid really. 

Because they need the money as well and are happy to see England lose the FLC as do our Rich 6 because there's more money to be made from even shit CL games.

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Inglesra said:

I can’t help but feel that all the talk about ESL has been some smoke and mirrors to take the focus off the new format for the Champions League, especially the wild card proposals. Me thinks they’re hoping we’ll all forget about this load of rubbish after the ESL proposals. They gave in too easy in my mind. Must be something more going on.

You may be correct but it could also be because they could see the proposal for more coefficient qualifiers being reduced to one.

[UniFox21]

 

 

Players starting to speak out 

 

[ARM1968]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Because they need the money as well and are happy to see England lose the FLC as do our Rich 6 because there's more money to be made from even shit CL games.

Oh I understand the money aspect, but the endless whinging about too many games is beyond hypocrisy. They make fools of themselves. 

[urban.spaceman]

55 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

 

 

Players starting to speak out 

 

Brave of a player from the so called big six to do so too

[urban.spaceman]

.

Edited 22 April 2021 by urban.spaceman

[ARM1968]

50 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

Brave of a player from the so called big six to do so too

They’re the ones who have to play. Get together as one and say no. Simple. Tell them we stay with the existing format or we don’t play in your games. Very simple. 

[fazzyfox]

If the (4?) clubs who qualify for this were opted out of the League / Carabao cup each season that could more than negate the extra games "problem". It would no doubt affect the lure to sponsors negatively by not having last seasons top 4 or whoever their contrived algorithm selects, but it seems like a solution and will see some different clubs reach Wembley Finals and win trophies.

[davieG]

1 hour ago, fazzyfox said:

If the (4?) clubs who qualify for this were opted out of the League / Carabao cup each season that could more than negate the extra games "problem". It would no doubt affect the lure to sponsors negatively by not having last seasons top 4 or whoever their contrived algorithm selects, but it seems like a solution and will see some different clubs reach Wembley Finals and win trophies.

But they'd be somewhat hollow victories.

 

I'm not sure why people suggest we should diminish our competitions for the sakes of few extra CL games. 

[SemperEadem]

 

[justfoxes]

UEFA again trying to change a great idea that’s worked for years trying to put a few more Million €€€ in their bank account more like what’s next the winners of the trophy play first knocked out team to play for the winners for trophy #Bizzare ?? 

Edited 24 April 2021 by justfoxes