Champions League 2024-25

[Temptation]

Swinging towards 10 games for all but the top 16 qualify only. Get rid of the wiffle-waffle KO round and up the league stage stakes.

What do you think?

PS: I know I am not Birdy, I think.

10 games for all makes it way too group stage-heavy.


Knockout ties provide far more excitement and jeopardy on paper.


I don't think they should stretch the group stage anything over 8 games.

 

[jaype]

I thought the new format would suck, but I like it so far. Much better for the neutrals, each matchday there is one really good game.

Me too

 

[Andresito]

I'm usually not a big fan of change especially to a competition like CL. I even thought the kickoff change from 20:45 to 21 was unnecessary because for me 20:45 was always tied to CL since growing up.

But I like the current format, even was OK with it before it started. It's a lot more chaotic and unpredictable but at the same time it's made so that big teams are very unlikely to crash out. Finishing top 8 feels like a big incentive to avoid two extra playoff games plus having the 2nd leg home advantage.

We are only halfway so I expect a lot to change. I expect Brest at 4th place to eventually end up behind Atletico who are 23rd currently. For all the issues Madrid have they are only 3p behind us despite being 12 spots below.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

I'm usually not a big fan of change especially to a competition like CL. I even thought the kickoff change from 20:45 to 21 was unnecessary because for me 20:45 was always tied to CL since growing up.

But I like the current format, even was OK with it before it started. It's a lot more chaotic and unpredictable but at the same time it's made so that big teams are very unlikely to crash out. Finishing top 8 feels like a big incentive to avoid two extra playoff games plus having the 2nd leg home advantage.

We are only halfway so I expect a lot to change. I expect Brest at 4th place to eventually end up behind Atletico who are 23rd currently. For all the issues Madrid have they are only 3p behind us despite being 12 spots below.

I feel that dude, 20.45 was always cl time time😪

The new format gives us more amazing games before knockout stage but it takes also some excitement from knockout rounds away where normally the big games are.

 

[Temptation]

@iniestaGOAT liking the new CL format?

 

[iniestaGOAT]

@iniestaGOAT liking the new CL format?

Hell yeah lil bro
We smashing every team.

 

[El Gato]

The format is better no question
Fewer reasons to underperform early on and try to claw it back later considering for many teams it means having an even more congested January than already tends to be

The only thing SuperLeague folk ever had going for selves is the governance argument. But suspect teams will not find it beneficial enough to exit now

 

[ajnotkeith]

Really lucky that we play Atalanta at home, they haven't let in a single goal with a defender called Djimsiti dominating.

Djimsiti is my countryman, his rise has been incredible.

Started from the Swiss league and didn't play in a top league till about 25/26. In fact, he wasn't able to get a place in our Euro 2016 squad (a decision heavily criticised at the time though).


Now he's being mentioned as one of the best in the world on neutral forums.

It's very rare for players from Albania or Kosovo to get into top leagues and stay there and they usually peak much later because the football infrastructure in these two countries is terrible, and the diaspora usually pick their countries of birth over us (Xhaka and Shaqiri are the most prominent examples but there are many other great players who could have played for us). Brajan Gruda is another one who is choosing Germany now, but that's another topic.

Djimsiti is peaking right now and I think he'll improve yet.