UEFA Champions League format

[Mike]

The only way I could see straight knockout being anywhere near exciting is if you put, say, the 32 'biggest' qualifiers on the left, the 32 'smallest' qualifiers on the right (imagine a tree structure) so you could have something like Barcelona vs. Bursaspor in the final.

 

[Stann]

Would be great to watch, see small teams get far, like Millwall in the FA Cup Final a few years back, but it's unrealistic if you ask me. And in some ways it can be easier for small teams to qualify, take Copenhagen. ****** there way through the group, all be it a pretty nice draw, but thats the point. Over two legs there is no way a Zilina would beat a Real Madrid. But if they nick a draw at home in the groups....

---------- Post added at 08:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:42 PM ----------

Na that would be stupid, when the biggest teams would win every year, and what would you rather watch in the Champions League Final, Barca - Man U or Barca - Panathainokois (sp)

 

[MisterStubbs]

Would be great to watch, see small teams get far, like Millwall in the FA Cup Final a few years back, but it's unrealistic if you ask me. And in some ways it can be easier for small teams to qualify, take Copenhagen. ****** there way through the group, all be it a pretty nice draw, but thats the point. Over two legs there is no way a Zilina would beat a Real Madrid. But if they nick a draw at home in the groups....

why can't they? football is played over 90 minutes? who would have thought Southend would have beat Manchester United few years back? Northampton beating Liverpool?

 

[*JK*]

And Southend beat us in style!

 

[Joss]

But surely it's far more exciting to see Arsenal v Barcelona in the final, rather than the firsr round? So the best teams qualify top and get the "easier" route through the finals and fight it out later rather than in the first round, so we could potentially have Buraspor vs Zilina in the final - who would watch that?

 

[Stann]

why can't they? football is played over 90 minutes? who would have thought Southend would have beat Manchester United few years back? Northampton beating Liverpool?

That was a one leg affair though.... And if that's your argument, whats to say beating them in the group stages wouldn't send them through...

 

[MisterStubbs]

But surely it's far more exciting to see Arsenal v Barcelona in the final, rather than the firsr round? So the best teams qualify top and get the "easier" route through the finals and fight it out later rather than in the first round, so we could potentially have Buraspor vs Zilina in the final - who would watch that?

not at all, if it was a Buraspor vs Zilina final its because they earn the right to get there. big clubs in Europe are given far to much protection in my eyes.

 

[Mike]

Na that would be stupid, when the biggest teams would win every year, and what would you rather watch in the Champions League Final, Barca - Man U or Barca - Panathainokois (sp)

I'd rather watch a Barca - Pana final as a smaller team does genuinely have a chance to win it, instead of a 'top 6 in the world' team winning it every year.

 

[KingOfJC]

But surely it's far more exciting to see Arsenal v Barcelona in the final, rather than the firsr round? So the best teams qualify top and get the "easier" route through the finals and fight it out later rather than in the first round, so we could potentially have Buraspor vs Zilina in the final - who would watch that?

Bursaspor and Zilina fans... not that that is a big number at all.

And to people saying upsets in the FA cup:

The FA cup is over 1 round, UCL over 2 at knockout and 3 home 3 away at group (away games in a different country + timezone...)

And how would Southend fair in an FA cup "group stage" if you were to look at things in the opposite way?

Chelsea, QPR, Brighton, Southend.

Who is going to go through? Odds are heavily against southend...

I'd rather watch a Barca - Pana final as a smaller team does genuinely have a chance to win it, instead of a 'top 6 in the world' team winning it every year.

How do panathinaikos have a better chance than Chelsea/Utd/Arsenal/Real/Inter/etc? They would just get dominated oO)

 

[MisterStubbs]

Bursaspor and Zilina fans... not that that is a big number at all.

And to people saying upsets in the FA cup:

The FA cup is over 1 round, UCL over 2 at knockout and 3 home 3 away at group (away games in a different country + timezone...)

And how would Southend fair in an FA cup "group stage" if you were to look at things in the opposite way?

Chelsea, QPR, Brighton, Southend.

Who is going to go through? Odds are heavily against southend...

your missing the point completely, this isn't about the fa cup, this is about the big clubs in Europe getting far to much protection during the early rounds of the champions league oh and by the way, Southend dicked you at Stamford Bridge the other year so anything in football is possible.

How do panathinaikos have a better chance than Chelsea/Utd/Arsenal/Real/Inter/etc?

 

[Qwaz]

The only way I could see straight knockout being anywhere near exciting is if you put, say, the 32 'biggest' qualifiers on the left, the 32 'smallest' qualifiers on the right (imagine a tree structure) so you could have something like Barcelona vs. Bursaspor in the final.

This would be a horrible Idea, you'd end up getting unfairly matched finals that where not that exciting. The odds on Barca beating Bursaspor would be like 1-15 it would practically be a forgone conclusion, rather than what should be one of the most exciting games in the club football calender. Plus Mike are you trying to say that you would be happy for manchester united to lose out on a lot of money due to the possibility of United face Barcelona in the first round of an all knockout champions league?

Seedings in the group help to ensure that the bigger teams don't knock each other out early, but you still get hard groups, look at Tottenham this year and the Idea of in the first knockout round teams who come first in groups play teams who are second, is great because it makes winning the group worthwhile, thus more of the group games exciting.

Another great thing about the group stages is that you can have big matches in the first half of the champions league season without losing some of the best teams.

The way it works now you still have to beat the best because it is ensured that by the quarter finals the only teams left in are the best teams.

A seeded knockout would have a lot of very predictable results in the first half of the season. An unseeded knockout would be very random and could actually give some teams an unfairly easy draw as well as ending some big teams europeans seasons far too early due to an unlucky draw.

 

[MisterStubbs]

Bursaspor and Zilina fans... not that that is a big number at all.

And to people saying upsets in the FA cup:

The FA cup is over 1 round, UCL over 2 at knockout and 3 home 3 away at group (away games in a different country + timezone...)

And how would Southend fair in an FA cup "group stage" if you were to look at things in the opposite way?

Chelsea, QPR, Brighton, Southend.

Who is going to go through? Odds are heavily against southend...



How do panathinaikos have a better chance than Chelsea/Utd/Arsenal/Real/Inter/etc? They would just get dominated oO)

your missing the point completely, this isn't about the fa cup, this is about the big clubs in Europe getting far to much protection during the early rounds of the champions league oh and by the way, Southend dicked you at Stamford Bridge the other year so anything in football is possible.

 

[Mike]

Plus Mike are you trying to say that you would be happy for manchester united to lose out on a lot of money due to the possibility of United face Barcelona in the first round of an all knockout champions league?

As a massive Arsenal fan.. yes.

 

[Qwaz]

As a massive Arsenal fan.. yes.

lol- oops arsenal then , you can see how it is completely unfair.

I saw you speaking rubbish and thought you'd be a man u fan

 

[Mike]

lol- oops arsenal then , you can see how it is completely unfair.

Not really.

The point is this - it'll never be as exciting with just a straight knockout. I only said that as the only way to make it anywhere near exciting. Qualifiers > groups > knockouts is fine.

 

[Nixon]

I'd like to see unseeded groups. Would make it much more interesting to watch.

 

[Qwaz]

Not really.

The point is this - it'll never be as exciting with just a straight knockout. I only said that as the only way to make it anywhere near exciting. Qualifiers > groups > knockouts is fine.

Have to agree with you there... it works really well as it is now. I dont know why people are saying don't seed it if you want to win you have to beat the best. Clearly the quarter finals contains only the best teams.

I still dont like your knockout suggestion

Can't wait for the draw though... good luck with getting Shalke

 

[CorvetteC3]

How do panathinaikos have a better chance than Chelsea/Utd/Arsenal/Real/Inter/etc? They would just get dominated oO)

This is the problem. People assume that Barca will dominate Panathinaikos. The same can happen with United or Chelsea or Arsenal or Bayern or Inter or Milan. Not to mention a certain Real Madrid, it was a really tight clasico last time out. Nobody thinks about the possibility that Panathinaikos can win it. Barca vs Rubin Kazan last year for example.

 

[ravenie]

I would like to see smaller teams in the final. I think Copenhagen have a good shout this year.

They will change the format eventually though. To keep it fresh.

 

[Dunc]

Bollocks idea.

I bet the smaller teams much prefer playing 6 guarenteed games, rather than a likely 2 games.