Re: CL / EL Final Eight Appreciation Thread

[sportsczy]

OM won the champion's league in 92/93. First one under the new format actually.

[El Gunner]

Single legs make things more unpredictable... and better imo.

hell yeah!
really been enjoying them. Nobody gives a shit waiting two/three weeks for a return leg, where 70% of the time across both legs it's a cagey affair of managing the aggregate score and away goals.

[Casciavit]

I like two legs because it usually means better teams have a higher chance of progression and that's what I want to see. I like the glamour of the big matchups in the CL. Luck plays too much of a part in one match which leads to more underdog teams in the higher rounds.

Although I do agree with the stance that there's way too much time between the first leg and second leg knockout matches.

[BarrileteCosmico]

Yeah agreed. At the end of the day do you really want the worse team go through because it's more exciting, or do you want the more deserving team through?

Not to mention that one legged matches would be impossible if they were not held at a neutral venue, and clubs would resist as late-CL games are huge money makers for ticket sales.

[Superstone Mariomintsch]

OM won the champion's league in 92/93. First one under the new format actually.

He wasn't talking about the European Cup being reformatted to UEFA Champions League.

He's talking about changing the formula from League winners playing in UCL, next best teams playing UEFA Cup, and domestic cup winners playing in Cup Winners Cup; to league's best teams (not only winners) playing in UCL, and cup winners playing in UEFA Cup with Cup Winners Cup being abolished

[Robespierre]

Yeah agreed. At the end of the day do you really want the worse team go through because it's more exciting, or do you want the more deserving team through?

Not to mention that one legged matches would be impossible if they were not held at a neutral venue, and clubs would resist as late-CL games are huge money makers for ticket sales.

I hadn't reached CL final in 2003 due to a double tie in a derby played even at same stadium
That's the most extreme situation but anyway a double tie and so the away goals rule isn't exactly an example of meritocracy

Anyway I believe it should be riproposed next year.
Covid will continue unfortunately and Euro 2020 can't be postponed again . Need to reduce matches as much as possible.
And so this successful formula is okay for another year at least

[Babun]

I like the new format. Small teams have got a chance, no pitch bullshit anymore (wattered too much or high grass). For everything else, we've got the league games. K.O means K.O.

[El Gunner]

Yeah agreed. At the end of the day do you really want the worse team go through because it's more exciting, or do you want the more deserving team through?

i don't buy this argument...
"more deserving team wins over two legs"- i get the reasoning, but it's bullshit imo. So all the World Cup winners of the past weren't some of the best and deserving teams to win it. Look at domestic cup competitions with straight off K.O stages, usually the big teams win it too across the major leagues - Arsenal, United, Barca, Real, PSG, Lyon, Bayern, Juve, etc etc

i agree there will be more unpredictability and luck involved if they continue with one-legged K.O ties, but i only see that as a possibility of excitement, and better chances for lesser teams to write their own history. Isn't that more beautiful than just the same old, same old year after year. The bigger, better, more deserving teams will still find a way to win most of the time, just not as regularly.

but as you said this might be more of a money issue for most clubs, therefore they'd like to keep it two-legged.

[Warrior]

I disagree that lesser teams should have better chances. David vs Goliath narrative is fun under normal parameters, it already occurs from time to time, as Monaco or Ajax have done it recently. How can you be excited if you know it's artificial ? Downgrade the tournament for more underdogs as semi-finalist etc, it will just become a crap version of what it was.

Example Euro 2016, not the same changes, but the same intentions. It was crap

[BarrileteCosmico]

These semis

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