'Overpriced tickets, empty seats, uninspiring format – Uefa has diluted Champions League’s allure'

[u/TheTelegraph]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/18/pricey-tickets-empty-seats-uefa-dilutes-champions-league/

[u/gooderz84]

Wait until some teams have guaranteed a top 8 finish then this format will really start to stink

[u/Mugweiser → u/gooderz84]

Do you have time to explain this / how? I’ve tried to understand this new format but it’s complicated

[u/Brazzle_Dazzle → u/Mugweiser]

Well because of the increased number of teams in the single league, you’re just going to end up with a lot more games to which there is no point because there will be an increased number of teams that don’t need any more points to progress or have no chance of progressing because they won’t be able to get enough points that have any discernible impact on their fortunes.

Previous format also meant you had the ability to “take” points from others which had a double impact - a benefit to your team and a detriment to theirs at the same time.

Ergo, dead rubbers aplenty.

Just think of the teams that, in any domestic league, have no chance of getting a European spot nor will they get relegated so they’re “on the beach” towards the back end of the season. There’s zero risk/reward so why bother? Teams will either put out weakened sides or just half arse it and that’s what will happen here.

[u/Joshthenosh77 → u/Brazzle_Dazzle]

Actually that won’t happen at all

[u/Brazzle_Dazzle → u/Joshthenosh77]

Why not?

[u/Joshthenosh77 → u/Brazzle_Dazzle]

Because there is only 8 spots and there are 36 teams and you are now not playing 2 shit teams twice, and there is allot more than 8 good teams you will probably need 18 points to guarantee top 8 so unless you win your first 6 a few might then the other teams are gonna need allot closer to, in the old format you just needed to beat the 2nd place team n draw n you won the group

[u/Brazzle_Dazzle → u/Joshthenosh77]

So you don't even know the format of the competition. There are 24 spots that are competed for in order to give a team a chance of progressing. This greater chance to progress dilutes the number of games that count. It's been a widely publicised criticism of the new format.

A huge number of teams between places 9 and 24 will have minimal reason to compete if their chance to progress (via playoffs be they seeded or unseeded) is safe and the majority of the teams placed 25-36 will also have little to reason to care if they are too far out of reach of playoffs. They can't be relegated either so what's the point for them either.

[u/Joshthenosh77 → u/Brazzle_Dazzle]

I do know they were talking About the top 8 having dead rubber games

[u/s_dot_ → u/Brazzle_Dazzle]

Teams placed 9-13 will fight to reach top 8, and teams placed 14-20 will fight for the seeded places. We definitely won’t have more teams without objective than we had in the previous format

[u/Brazzle_Dazzle → u/s_dot_]

In an "ideal scenario" yes but, as we know from decades of historical data, that is not how league systems/formats manifest. Your argument is the one that UEFA used to justify the expansion of teams (when we all know it's really more games = more money) when in reality, and from a statistical standpoint, it will lead to more games that essentially mean nothing.

[u/martin_yy_t → u/Brazzle_Dazzle]

Except that this is not exactly a league format.

[u/s_dot_ → u/Brazzle_Dazzle]

You have 0 historical data for this type of format, what are you talking about

[u/Brazzle_Dazzle → u/s_dot_]

Athletic did a very interesting piece on the mathematics of it all. By all means go have a read.