UEFA Champions League 2024/25

[thebenjamin]

288 matches to eliminate 12 teams - can that possibly be right? Who the fuck thought that up

 

[rossdapep]

Barca's bench is full of 16-20 year olds.

The two 16 year-olds are cousins.

 

[14/04/91]

288 matches to eliminate 12 teams - can that possibly be right? Who the fuck thought that up

The money grabbing European governing body and greedy clubs. Made it into a (not so) Super League in all but name.

Champs League, World Cup, Euros have all gone for increased matches over quality of competition.

 

[midoshairband]

Partey guilty of unauthorised action in the box you say?

 

[Yiddo100]

That is a shocking header on the rebound

 

[chas vs dave]

Great double save, unfortunately

 

[Jamturk]

Raya is proving to be a top class keeper

 

[midoshairband]

can't believe we didn't end up going for Ederson.

 

[EireYid]

can't believe we didn't end up going for Ederson.

Or Raya!

 

[Cornpattbuck]

That is a shocking header on the rebound

That's four this season where an attacker has had a basically open goal against them and hit it straight back to where Raya is with the rest of the goal gaping.

 

[Guntz]

Hate to say it, but we look silly passing on Raya for Vicario.

 

[14/04/91]

Hate to say it, but we look silly passing on Raya for Vicario.

But all that lovely money we saved…..

 

[Gbspurs]

Hate to say it, but we look silly passing on Raya for Vicario.

Not sure we did pass on him did we?

 

[Guntz]

Not sure we did pass on him did we?

We decided not to pay the fee?

 

[Jamturk]

Hate to say it, but we look silly passing on Raya for Vicario.

iirc he didn't pass the Big Ange sniff test.

 

[Jamturk]

We decided not to pay the fee?

To be fair did he not move for half of that?

 

[14/04/91]

To be fair did he not move for half of that?

Think he moved for around £27m this summer but they paid a loan fee for last season. So probably around £30m in total. He was never going for £40m with a year left on his contract.

 

[cwy21]

I have to take the opportunity to laugh at seeing Arsenal and City mid-table.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

I think the old format was a bit broken. 5 or 6 groups were always completely dead after four games, only 2 or 3 ever had any real tension on MD6. That isn't the entertainment UEFA wants from its flagship competition.

The idea now is that every placement in the standings between 1 and 24 matters. 1 and 2 are separated in the knockout bracket and can't meet until the final, places 9 to 16 are seeded in the first knockout round against the teams 17 to 24. There is an incentive to always try to win and finish as high as possible. And the working assumption is you will have to win 6 out of 8 games to be guaranteed top 8, based on thousands of simulations.

I'm interested in seeing how much tension there is left in MD7 and MD8 in January. That's when we find out how good this change has been.

Yea fair it might come good then

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Raya is proving to be a top class keeper

Was it ever really in doubt? He was a shining light for Brentford, could tell he was a level above them.