4 rounds in, fans have already been able to witness major clashes such as Man City vs Inter, Arsenal vs PSG, and Barcelona vs Bayern Munich, games that otherwise would likely only take place with such jeopardy in the knockout stages of the previous format. Matches between these historic and monumental clubs are no longer few and far between, with Liverpool and Real Madrid set to clash in the coming weeks, as well as Man City and PSG.
As well as these big money matchups, UEFA’s claim of a ‘better competitive balance’ has been clearly backed up by the current league positions. In the previous format, the seeded group stages with each team playing each other twice, lead to predictable group standings. Bigger teams would have to seriously underperform in multiple games to find themselves in any real predicament. However, the new format has allowed smaller teams to rise up the league by beating similarly seeded teams, whereas historically bigger clubs have struggled and already find themselves in danger of not qualifying.
Historically bigger clubs have struggled and already find themselves in danger
To illustrate this, Ligue 1 clubs AS Monaco and Stade Brestois are far from European powerhouses, but find themselves in 3rd and 4th place, whilst European giants PSG and Atletico Madrid have struggled against tough opponents and are in 23rd and 25th respectively. With half of the games left in a 36-team league, any team could feasibly still qualify for the next round, with all still to play for.
UEFA have made a rare fantastic decision
Overall, whilst reservations about the switch from the widely loved previous Champions League format were fair, early evidence suggests UEFA have made a rare fantastic decision in the format change, as it has made every week of European football just that bit more entertaining.
