SM
Aston Villa vs. Man United: 8 hrs 58 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Champions League 2024-25: Why new format is "better for the game" - McCoist

:Headline: Champions League 2024-25: Why new format is 'better for the game' - McCoist:
Pundit Ally McCoist tells Sports Mole that the new Champions League format is "better for the game" and praises teams like Celtic for their performance on matchday one.
Sports Mole

Champions League commentator Ally McCoist has told Sports Mole that the revamped format for the 2024-25 competition is "better for the game", despite criticism from players, fans and journalists.

The usual 32-team group stage of the Champions League has been replaced by a league phase in which 36 clubs are entered into one league table, and after each team has played eight times, the top eight will qualify to the round of 16 while the subsequent 16 sides compete in playoff ties in order to reach the next round.

A number of players have spoken out against the format due to the increased fixture congestion, with suggestions of a strike even being mooted, while matchday one saw a number of one-sided results, including six teams winning by three or more goals and Bayern Munich becoming the first team in Champions League history to score nine times in a match.

However, when asked whether the new league phase has improved on the previous iteration of the Champions League, McCoist told Sports Mole: "I think it was better for the tournament, better for the game.

"I looked at it, looked at the new format and I was pretty hopeful and pretty optimistic that would be the case, and I know it's still very, very early in proceedings, but nothing's changed my mind on that. I'm still quite happy with it, I'm happy with the way it's started.

"As I say, prior to the tournament starting I was hopeful and optimistic, and I'm remaining that way at this moment in time."

Bayern Munich have taken an early lead at the top of the league table after their incredible 9-2 win against Dinamo Zagreb, with Celtic, Aston Villa and Liverpool the only British clubs in the top eight after one matchweek.

The new league phase means that there will now be a total of 189 matches played in the Champions League this season, an increase of 64 from 125 last term.

Rangers legend McCoist heaps praise on "fantastic" Celtic

The removal of the group stage and the implementation of a league table means that every one of the tournament's 36 teams are in competition with each other, and this means that every result can have implications for qualification.

Indeed, Celtic are currently third in the table and have more points than the likes of Manchester City, AC Milan and Arsenal, and McCoist believes this is an example of how the tournament's new format has benefitted sides that would normally not qualify for the round of 16.

McCoist told Sports Mole: "The Celtic result, which was fantastic by the way, phenomenal result, all of a sudden their fans are out thinking, they're looking at their fixtures and thinking 'can we qualify outright', which is great!

"No it is, it's great! And I was at the Inter Milan-City game where I thought Inter Milan played well, really, really well, deserved a point. I've watched Atalanta-Arsenal, so I've really enjoyed what I've seen so far."

Opta analysis suggests that just 10 points is almost certain to lead to a top-24 finish and qualify sides for the round of 16 playoff tie, so Celtic's opening day victory could prove to be pivotal in their quest to remain in the tournament.

Celtic take on Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday in their second match of the 2024-25 Champions League, and will be looking for their first away win in the competition since July 2019.

McCoist: Fans "getting bigger games"

UEFA stated the desire for more frequent clashes between top European sides was one reason for the new Champions League format, and fans have already been treated to games such as AC Milan vs. Liverpool, and can look forward to Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

The prospect of seeing more matchups between Europe's elite is something that McCoist believes to be positive.

"There were a few games in the last few, kind of format, where you'd probably call them dead rubber effectively," McCoist told Sports Mole.

"We might still get one or two of them in this new format, but the thing that does appeal to me already, you think about it – we've had Manchester City-Inter Milan, Atalanta-Arsenal.

"I think we're definitely getting bigger games where the big clubs now really are thinking 'well we can't afford to take our foot off the gas at all here really, we need to see how this league campaign's going'. And from that point of view, I like it, I must admit. I like it!"

Fans will also be able to watch Aston Villa on Wednesday when they travel to face Bayern Munich, who then face Barcelona in late October, while another standout fixture of the league phase will see Liverpool take on Real Madrid at Anfield in late November.

Ally McCoist was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of talkSPORT bet. body check tags ::

amp_article__554303 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-09-30 17:40:00:
html db last update - 2024-09-30 17:40:00 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Ally McCoist

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Share this article now:
MC
Read Next:
Premier League: Transfer ins and outs - Summer 2023
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Ally McCoist Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League: Transfer ins and outs - Summer 2023
Real Madrid return to winning ways with two-goal success over Villarreal
Will Haaland, De Bruyne play for Man City against Fulham?
Aston Villa to rival Newcastle for Kieran Tierney?

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool76011321118
2Manchester CityMan City7520178917
3Arsenal7520156917
4Chelsea6411157813
5Aston Villa6411129313
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle733187112
7Fulham7322108211
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs6312125710
9Brentford73131313010
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton623110829
11Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest62316519
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham72231011-18
13Bournemouth7223810-28
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd621358-37
15Leicester CityLeicester7133912-36
16Everton7124715-85
17Ipswich TownIpswich7043614-84
18Crystal Palace7034510-53
19Southampton7016415-111
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves7016921-121
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Could Arsenal star in "best condition" rejoin old team for free?

1

CA

"A slight discomfort" - Liverpool fans can breathe easy after new injury update

2

&S

Spurs 'on scouting mission' for 20-year-old who tormented Man United

3

S'

Real Madrid return to winning ways with two-goal success over Villarreal

4

RM

Gunning down the Saints: Arsenal fight back to sink Southampton

5

GD

Seventh heaven: Havertz equals Van Persie record in Arsenal victory

6

SH

Mateo mastery in Manchester: City win five-goal Fulham thriller

7

MM

Man City vs. Fulham: Head-to-head record and past meetings

8

MC

"Time to focus" - Wonderkid with stunning goal record confirms Man United move

9

&T

Bayern chief addresses Musiala future amid ongoing exit reports

10

BC


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .