This Champions League format is to my liking

I have to say that as a Newcastle United fan, this Champions League format is to my liking.

Previous to this season, we had only experienced the four club group arrangement.

Or as was the case back in time under Sir Bobby Robson, the two group arrangement. Newcastle United in 2002/03 getting through a four club group that included Juventus, Dynamo Kiev and Feyenoord, only to then qualify for another group where they were joined by Inter Milan, Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen.

Two years ago, the proverbial ‘group of death’ came the way of Eddie Howe and Newcastle United.

PSG, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund were United’s prize after finishing top four in the Premier League in 2022/23.

An incredibly tough group that saw PSG emerge to reach the semi-final, whilst Dortmund were losing finalists.

Newcastle United though cheated out of a knockout spot, thanks to that ludicrous penalty awarded in Paris against PSG.

In Newcastle’s absence, the new 36 club Swiss League format was introduced for the Champions League.

The 36 clubs each playing four matches at home and four away, against eight different opponents. Then the points and goal differences from the eight rounds of matches deciding the final league table.

The top eight qualifying automatically for the last 16 knock out stages, whilst the 16 clubs finishing ninth to twenty-fourth going into the play-offs, to fill the other eight places in the last 16.

Of course, we all know that this was about money and power.

UEFA massively expanding the number of games played before the knockout stages, meaning they are in control of more clubs and more matches in their premier competition, more games to sell to TV and sponsors etc etc.

However, they have at the same, accidentally created a far better Champions League format.

The whole coefficient/seeding thing is nonsense, in my opinion, but at least with drawing two clubs from each of the four pots you tend to get a decent range of opponents.

Of course, also a massive positive for English clubs is that you can’t play against other Premier League teams, as you can’t play against another club from your country in the Swiss League stage.

As it happens, I think Newcastle United still got a pretty tough set of eight opponents, compared to what many other clubs got.

However, it is far better overall, in terms of giving clubs a fairer chance of progressing, certainly in terms of at least making the play-offs.

What do you think about Sam’s observations on this new Champions League format? Let us know in the comments section below what you think about the Swiss League, compared to the old four club group format.