CL Round 2: Barca - Young Boys 5-0

[draconifire]

CL stage for our team at the moment is quarterfinal. It's gonna take a lot to make the semis. I don't see it personally, too soon.

See I don't understand this logic though. We could have reached the Semi's last season. But were we any good at all? It was evident that we weren't.
We can get ManCity in the Round of 16 and lose, does that say we are a bad team, cuz evidently we currently are one of the best.

A better way to access would be how we played against the top teams. For me, if we just don't get humiliated is progress. LOL

 

[serghei]

See I don't understand this logic though. We could have reached the Semi's last season. But were we any good at all? It was evident that we weren't.
We can get ManCity in the Round of 16 and lose, does that say we are a bad team, cuz evidently we currently are one of the best.

A better way to access would be how we played against the top teams. For me, if we just don't get humiliated is progress. LOL

Don't think you can get City very early unless you do a piss poor job in the league phase. Let's say City gets 1st in league phase, they will play in last 16 against the 15th or 16th ranked team.

 

[Maradona37]

Don't think you can get City very early unless you do a piss poor job in the league phase. Let's say City gets 1st in league phase, they will play in last 16 against the 15th or 16th ranked team.

That isn't how it works. 9th to 16th are seeded and play a knockout tie pre R16 against 17th-24th, who are unseeded. Then in the last 16 it's a draw with the knockout winners unseeded and 1st to 8th (who received a bye to R16) seeded.

So Barca could finish 9th with identical points to 8th (who could be City), but one goal worse on goal difference. And still end up facing 8th placed City in the round of 16.

That's the quirk of one big league phase rather than a set of mini-groups.

 

[Horatio]

I am here.

And I am cooking kebab tonight siu.

 

[Maradona37]

I am here.

Ok, All Might.

 

[draconifire]

Don't think you can get City very early unless you do a piss poor job in the league phase. Let's say City gets 1st in league phase, they will play in last 16 against the 15th or 16th ranked team.

You missed my point here.

I am not saying if we get City or not. It's just a placeholder for a top team that we can meet in the R16. Pool, City, Arsenal, Real, ATM or another.

 

[Maradona37]

You missed my point here.

I am not saying if we get City or not. It's just a placeholder for a top team that we can meet in the R16. Pool, City, Arsenal, Real, ATM or another.

It's also very likely to get a top team in the R16, as it will be one of the 8 best performing teams you'd have to play against, if you don't finish top 8 yourself (then get through the prelim knockout round).

It seems more likely that in a league phase the top 8 will be 8 elite teams - whereas when it was groups, you could always get a weak group winner due to a weak group overall or a shock, etc.

To offset this, the fact everyone has a unique schedule could result in some unlikely teams being top 8 due to some teams having easier 8 games than others. We won't know yet as it's the inaugural season (though Football Manager has tested it).

Also, the fact that the last two games are in January and there's so little time between them and the round of 16 (as compared to previous years when group phase ended pre Xmas) means there's less likelihood of teams falling out of form before R16, as there's not a two month break. The teams who finish top 8 will likely win or get four points out of their late January games, highlighting they'd still be in form.

Lots of quirks here.

 

[serghei]

You missed my point here.

I am not saying if we get City or not. It's just a placeholder for a top team that we can meet in the R16. Pool, City, Arsenal, Real, ATM or another.

Yeah, well, normally, we'll meet a lower level team in round 16. In this respect, the format is not THAT different. Finishing top 8 is more like winning a CL group in the old format.

I still think we finish in top 8 personally. City, Inter, Madrid, Bayern, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Barcelona. Doubt someone from pot 2 is gonna beat us for a top 8 place. And with the nightmare draw PSG had, I think they won't make it.

 

[Maradona37]

Yeah, well, normally, we'll meat a lower level team in round 16. In this respect, the format is not THAT different. Finishing top 8 is more like winning a CL group in the old format.

It's better in a way. Because 9th to 24th have to play two more games and will likely be more tired. Plus you could play a team below 16th whereas in the old format, finishing second in a group was essentially being 'top 16'.

Barca could finish 1st and play the 24th-ranked league phase team in the last 16 (though they'd have beat a 9th to 16th ranked team to be fair to them).

 

[serghei]

It's better in a way. Because 9th to 24th have to play two more games and will likely be more tired. Plus you could play a team below 16th whereas in the old format, finishing second in a group was essentially being 'top 16'.

Barca could finish 1st and play the 24th-ranked league phase team in the last 16 (though they'd have beat a 9th to 16th ranked team to be fair to them).

Yeah, it's better if you finish in the first 8 no doubt. If you fuck up vs lower level teams though, it's worse.

 

[serghei]

They basically achieved what they wanted, albeit in a complicated way. No more dead rubber matches from groups.

 

[Maradona37]

They basically achieved what they wanted, albeit in a complicated way. No more dead rubber matches from groups.

It's all about money, as per usual. But I am one of the minority of people who likes the idea of this format (the Swiss system).

There's plenty of pros and cons of each. The main cons being more games for the players and the fact that everyone has a unique schedule, which doesn't really seem fair (though you can argue that the old system favoured the higher pots and that separating teams into groups is inherently unfair anyway based on luck of the draw).

My brother is fairly resistant to change and hates this new format. But I quite like it.

The one worry is it's a mini super league and if it proves popular it will be another incentive for UEFA to try to pull off a full blown double round robin European Super League and have teams leave domestic leagues. It's an intermediary step to that I feel.

 

[serghei]

Also, beware of too many draws. If you make a calculus, 4 wins, 0 draws, and 2 losses is much better than 2 wins, 3 draws, and just 1 loss.

 

[serghei]

No chance domestic leagues disappear. That would be unacceptable for me. The football lives with domestic rivalries and duels as the bread and butter. It's like family dinner vs night out at a fancy restaurant. Family home dinner is always the main day to day setup.

 

[draconifire]

We should be in Top 8. But who knows