The New Champions League Format: A Test to European Elites

Since the new Champions League format took Centre stage this season, top European clubs have been struggling to maintain their previous forms from the earlier format in the competition, causing a stir. With 15-time champions Real Madrid being outclassed by Italian Giants Ac Milan and Pep Guardiola's men being swept aside by Sporting Lisbon, this has raised questions: has the new Champions League format spoilt the fan, or has it elevated the level of the competition?

There has been an introduction of the new Champions League format, which features a single phase with 36 teams replacing the previous 32-team group stage, which took the limelight this season. However, it has been met with a lot of backlash and criticism from football fans after 4 rounds of match days that witnessed astonishing results. European football club elites Paris St Germain and Arsenal suffered losses respectively on match day 4, with Los Blanco's being hammered on their home turf.

UEFA's decision to do away with the previous format has sparked debates across social media. User Gaulden took to x and stated, "Do you have to beat all the teams to qualify for the next round? The beautiful game is cooked", reflecting the frustrations of fans feeling the change is unnecessary. On the Other hand, user Kentrell from x applauded the format by stating, "This new format is really exposing the likes of Madrid and City who used to get easy draws and easily qualify for round of 16, I'm loving this new format".

This year's revamped group stage consists of a single league table instead of 8 groups of 4 teams each. However, the teams will only play 8 games, coming up against a new opponent each time. This shift away has exposed big clubs to competitive games. With the Le Blues and the Gunners having a frustrating experience so far, the new Champions League format demands the elite teams to be at their best. With underdogs elevating, big clubs need to find their footing to avoid more crisis.