Champions League: UEFA to Make Major Changes after Arsenal Complaints
- UEFA has reportedly agreed to make some changes to the Champions League format ahead of next season
- Arsenal are said to have voiced some concerns over how the draw was done for the latter stages of the competition
- The Gunners reached the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain
The first season of the revamped Champions League format reached a dramatic end after a new winner was crowned in Munich, Germany, on May 31.
Source: Getty Images
Paris Saint-Germain won their maiden title in style by beating Inter Milan 5-0 to record the biggest win margin ever seen in a Champions League final.
Goals from Desire Doue (2), Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu ensured that the expected Italian job didn't take place as Inter Milan lost the second European final in three years.
New UEFA Champions League format
UEFA will consider the new format a success after doing away with the group stage phase and introducing the league phase system.
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In the old system, a team would face three teams in a round-robin format, with the top two teams in every group advancing to the Round of 16, while the third-placed teams would be relegated to the Europa League. Number four would be eliminated from Europe altogether.
The new system discarded the round-robin format and instead, one team now faces eight different opponents in the league system. At the end of the league phase, the top eight teams advance directly to the Round of 16, while positions 9 to 24 compete in a double-legged play-off with the winner qualifying for the next round.
The teams which finished in positions 9 to 16 have the advantage of playing the second leg at home.
What did Arsenal complain about to UEFA?
Arsenal's complaints stemmed from the fact that they had to play the second leg of each of their knockout round away from home, despite finishing third in the league phase. The Gunners won six, drew one and lost one to finish behind Barcelona and Liverpool.
They played PSV Eindhoven in the Round of 16, and the new system has it such that the teams that finished in the top eight play the second leg at home.
However, that advantage is wiped out after the Round of 16, and the draw becomes random. Arsenal were forced to play both second-leg matchups of their quarter-final and semi-final games away from home.
Source: Getty Images
This was a little bit unfair, given that Real Madrid finished 11th and PSG finished 15th. Playing the second leg at home always has its advantages, as one can rely on the home support to get over the line.
Arsenal managed to beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu but failed to beat PSG at the Parc des Princes and were eventually eliminated.
Will UEFA make the Champions League change?
UEFA has now reportedly agreed to reward the consistency of teams in the league phase, and therefore, from next season, teams that finish higher will be given preferential treatment (second leg at home) in the knockout rounds.
Other changes considered include the scrapping of extra-time and advancing directly to penalty shootouts, and preventing teams from the same country from facing each other until the latter stages of the competition. The last two changes are yet to be agreed on, as reported by the Mirror.
Champions League Team of the Season
UEFA has named the team of the season, with Declan Rice the only Arsenal player included. Winners PSG have seven players in, including player of the season Ousmane Dembele and the star in the final, Desire Doue.
Full squad: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Alessandro Bastoni, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Declan Rice; Lamine Yamal, Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé, Raphinha
Why PSG won't be allowed to keep original trophy
In a related report, TUKO.co.ke explained why PSG won't be allowed to keep the Champions League trophy.
PSG beat Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first title, but thanks to UEFA rules, they will only get a replica trophy, not the original one.
Only five teams, including record winners Real Madrid, have ever been allowed to keep the original trophy.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
