So is this pretty much the super league we were all opposed to?
Champions League 24/25 | Matchday 1: September 17-19
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
Was about to say, this format leaves a bitter taste in my mouth because it is more or less the exact same format as the ESL.
The ESL was never a league, no Prem team or any other team was gonna leave their domestic league, it was a cup competition.
It’s the same format, UEFA got pissed because of a better format and threw their toys out the pram, got what they wanted and then just copied the idea.
Have to wait until Saturday to see the full fixture list.
Imo, not bad. Last few years after the decline of Real, Bayern and Barcelona, from their absolute peaks, it was boring most of the time. This change was needed.
My thinking as well.
Some have suggested that perhaps it was better if it was changed back to 2 group stage phases followed by quarterfinals format like it was 20+ years ago.
He's actually not afaik. How all those massive roidy 80s/90s wrestlers didn't just have their hearts explode in their 50s is baffling to me.
Yeah I don't mind this new format in theory. The group stages were easier to understand but let's be honest, watching City, Real, Bayern etc. winning every game was pretty dull. Unless United were in it I basically ignored the competition until the Round of 16.
This new format looks like it has more jeopardy so happy to give it a go.
I didn't realise only 8 teams went through.
There are going to be a lot of meaningless dead rubber games in the last round.
That’s tough for PSG.
It's 24 teams that go through in some capacity.
8 go straight through to the last 16.
Teams 9-24 playoff in a knockout round for the right to play them.
Bottom 12 are out.
9 or 10 points from 8 games should make the top 24.
8 trams through and 16 further teams into a play off. It’s only the bottom 12 eliminated from the league phase.
Buffon couldn't match this.
It’s fascinating from a psychological standpoint that people are more willing to accept this than the ESL - which is like I keep saying- the exact same thign
Any ideas what happens if GD, including goals scored are the same, between 2 or more sides?
Well, Warrior and Macho Man did. Isn’t Mr perfect gonners as well
I could be wrong, but wasn't the ESL concept meant to be those 'elite' teams breaking away from their domestic leagues and exclusively playing matches against other ESL teams multiple times a season?
Tiebreakers
Teams will be ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points upon completion of the league phase, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:- Goal difference;
- Goals scored;
- Away goals scored;
- Wins;
- Away wins;
- Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents;
- Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents;
- Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents;
- Lower disciplinary points total (direct red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
- UEFA club coefficient.
No, no teams were breaking away
I am so confused. Who got who in the group?
Tricky enough.
How many points do we reckon it will take to finish top 8?
Very different format, no?
First ESL proposal was a closed shop for certain teams, no risk of them ever not being there.
Re-jigged proposal for the "Star League" had a top 16 all playing each other twice in groups of 8 for a 14 game league phase followed by QF, semi and final. Only one team from each of these groups of 8 would be relegated to the "Gold League" which was run in the same format. 14 of the 16 teams would be the same from one year to the next, and 30 out of 32 from the top 2 tiers of the competition.
Then there was the "Blue League" with a further 32. Only 2 teams could move up and 20 would lose out altogether.
I know CL money gurantees a lot of the same teams every year but it's never 14 out of 16 or 30 out of the top 32! Much more difficult to fall out of the ESL even with the proposals to include a promotion / relegation and a team like Vila from this season would only have got into the 3rd tier "Blue League" competiton as their reward for doing well domestically.
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Ah I see. Thank you for the clarity too on the tiebreaker front.
Do the other two European competitions have a similar format?
Europa is the same format, Europa Conference is slightly different as the teams in it only play 6 games
Ok maybe I was being a bit lazy with my wording but the format is essentially the same, at least in the re-jigged format
Star League etc could argue is similar to Pot 1, Pot 2 etc
They hold very similar formats, in my opinion it’s eerily close
I wasn’t keen on the non relegation clause however, that wasn’t cool. On the re-jigged format, it became closer to what we have now with the UCL.
Some great 'group' games for Bayern, some very meh ones, at least on paper. Let's give it a try, an upset or two too many and quite a few seeming dead rubber games will get spicy.
Still pretty far from a league though, since it has been called that in this thread a few times. After the inflated group stage it's the same as ever. As i have said a few times already, i'd like a true league format among Europe's best performing teams a lot. Leagues are won by the best team, whereas european cups are won by Real.
Still pretty far from a league though, since it has been called that in this thread a few times. After the inflated group stage it's the same as ever. As i have said a few times already, i'd like a true league format among Europe's best performing teams a lot. Leagues are won by the best team, whereas european cups are won by Real.
Everybody there just had one thing in their mind. ”What is happening?”
Cool. Thanks.
This competition is a load of shit
Celtic the luckiest team of 'em all imho.
They avoided every single TOP club, have 3 fixtures where they're favourite plus another 2-3 doable..
They avoided every single TOP club, have 3 fixtures where they're favourite plus another 2-3 doable..
From a random FM save
You did really well to get 10th with a Gibraltese side
HJK winning one seems implausible.From a random FM save
Pretty cool for Stade Brestois to be playing Madrid and Barca.
Do you get any reward for finishing top rather than 8th for example, or do the top 8 teams all just get the same reward eg. seeded in the final 16?
I think I might like this format but ask me again in January. Also: why always Barca?
Was always going to be extremely tough for my second team Stade Brestois, but Christ Madrid and Barca. Not ideal. Leverkeusen at "home" too. Not really home either as its about 75 minutes away.
Disappointed to not have an English team though.
Disappointed to not have an English team though.
There is no reward for finishing top and the 8 winners from the playoff round are seeded in the last 16 draw