Champions League Restructure

[davek]

Please explain. Instead of being pig headed. You said the last great side to win it was Real in 2014, yet a Barca team ‘past its peak’, went on to win La Liga and Champion League double the very next season, ahead of said ‘last great side’. But that Barca a wasn’t a great team and was past it’s peak?

You cant measure 'great' by doubling up on the CL and La Liga. Barcelona were a freakish cave in against that lot from achieving it last season, and you wouldn't call them great would you? A great achievement, but nowhere near a great team. Same goes for the Barcelona team of 2015.

 

[Everton1970]

You cant measure 'great' by doubling up on the CL and La Liga. Barcelona were a freakish cave in against that lot from achieving it last season, and you wouldn't call them great would you? A great achievement, but nowhere near a great team. Same goes for the Barcelona team of 2015.

Let’s get this straight. The Real Madrid team of 2014 was the last ‘great’ team to win it. Yet the Barca team that beat them to the League and AND the Champions League 12 months later, beating Juve in the final, the same Juve that knocked the so called last great team out in the Semis. I’m not sure why you gotta bring the Barca of last season into it. Everyone knows this Barca team wasn’t great, they won their League without any real competition. And the standard of the Champions League wasn’t its best either as we all know. But they won the 2015 League when competition was probably at its strongest and Ronaldo was probably in his prime. You say the Barca of 2015 we’re past it, yet they beat that Real Madrid team to the League. That tells me they weren’t past it and they were actually a better team than Madrid in 2015. You DO believe the best team wins their League, do you not?

 

[trueblue84]

Desperate attempt to curtail the runaway success of the premiere league and protect the European big boys after the "leaked" stories of a proposed new super League went down like a fart in a lift.

 

[davek]

Let’s get this straight. The Real Madrid team of 2014 was the last ‘great’ team to win it. Yet the Barca team that beat them to the League and AND the Champions League 12 months later, beating Juve in the final, the same Juve that knocked the so called last great team out in the Semis. I’m not sure why you gotta bring the Barca of last season into it. Everyone knows this Barca team wasn’t great, they won their League without any real competition. And the standard of the Champions League wasn’t its best either as we all know. But they won the 2015 League when competition was probably at its strongest and Ronaldo was probably in his prime. You say the Barca of 2015 we’re past it, yet they beat that Real Madrid team to the League. That tells me they weren’t past it and they were actually a better team than Madrid in 2015. You DO believe the best team wins their League, do you not?

Your argument rests on pointing out that Barcelona beat the last great RM team the following season to the La Liga title and scooping up the CL, when great teams (RM in this case vintage 2014) can simply fall apart very quickly. Look at what happened to Catterick's 1970 title winning team: a great team in British terms and - more than that.

 

[Everton1970]

@davek.

So, you're saying that the last GREAT team to win the Champions League was Real Madrid in 2014. When they weren't even champions of Spain when they entered that seasons Champions League. NOR that season or the season after!!!!! Indeed that team that won it in 2014 hadn't won the League since 11-12.

11-12 Real
12-13 Barca
13-14 The Season were talking about. Atleti. That great real team finished THIRD
14-15 Barca, the real last great team to win it. Actually achieving the treble
15-16 Barca

And the last great team to win it was Real in 2014!!!!!!!! Youre a very funny guy. Let's face it, you didn't know what you were talking about or your definition of a great team differs greatly from everyone else's.

 

[TheBigIguana]

Desperate attempt to curtail the runaway success of the premiere league and protect the European big boys after the "leaked" stories of a proposed new super League went down like a fart in a lift.

It's exactly this. The Bayern, Juve, Real Madrid, Barca, PSG group, and I guess the teams like Milan and Inter that like to still think of themselves as big boys, all realize the Premier League is going to crush them. That teams like Everton, West Ham and Wolves aren't a million miles away from making it a "Big 8" and eventually just having a league of 12 teams or so that are all elite level because they have so much money. And if that is allowed to happen the Premier League becomes the draw and the rest of Europe watches. They know this is the last shot they have to save their cash cows.

 

[davek]

@davek.

So, you're saying that the last GREAT team to win the Champions League was Real Madrid in 2014. When they weren't even champions of Spain when they entered that seasons Champions League. NOR that season or the season after!!!!! Indeed that team that won it in 2014 hadn't won the League since 11-12.

11-12 Real
12-13 Barca
13-14 The Season were talking about. Atleti. That great real team finished THIRD
14-15 Barca, the real last great team to win it. Actually achieving the treble
15-16 Barca

And the last great team to win it was Real in 2014!!!!!!!! Youre a very funny guy. Let's face it, you didn't know what you were talking about or your definition of a great team differs greatly from everyone else's.

Barcelona: the final against United was their finest moment. Took apart a very good United team that would have won it that year against any other team than a Barcelona with Xavi still pulling the strings.

Madrid: world class players right at the peak of their careers who get on top of and tamed a team like Atletico who's time had come to finally win a European Cup. Probably the most competitive team in the world that season. Madrid matched them and mastered them.

There have been NO teams that evem appraoch the level of those two outfits in the last five years....and you have to go back to 2002 to the Madrid team led by Zidane for the last great team prior to the 2011 Barcelona team.

 

[havrey0123]

The format of the Champions League is set to change in 2024 with plans now reportedly at an advanced stage.

The new format will consist of four leagues with eight teams in each league. The bottom two clubs each year will be "relegated" and replaced by the semi-finalists from the Europa League and four sides who have registered high-placed finished in their domestic league.



This could have serious implications for Everton and English football as a whole.

Full story here (via The Independent)

Was always on the cards
It's a money maker,

Look at the 2 semi finals in the cl that just happened, even the neutral fans watched those games.

 

[havrey0123]

The CL has been devalued for years. Real Madrid have been the last great team to win it...and they were only great about five yeras ago....and kept on winning it when they were well past it.

The last 8 in the EL are about the same level as the last 8 in the CL now.

Time it was all merged and called something else.

Wrong.

Even with midweek games the cl is still massive.
If there ever was a European super League and they moved there games to be played on the weekend, it would destroy the premier League overnight.

The likes of united Barcelona or spurs Madrid in the weekend or Burnley Vs Southampton, come on lads.

 

[davek]

Wrong.

Even with midweek games the cl is still massive.
If there ever was a European super League and they moved there games to be played on the weekend, it would destroy the premier League overnight.

The likes of united Barcelona or spurs Madrid in the weekend or Burnley Vs Southampton, come on lads.

No. No one is remotely arsed about the CL now until it gets to the SF stages.

To belive that circus approaches the magnitude of the English title is about as muddleheaded as you can get.

 

[kahuna]

Wrong.

Even with midweek games the cl is still massive.
If there ever was a European super League and they moved there games to be played on the weekend, it would destroy the premier League overnight.

The likes of united Barcelona or spurs Madrid in the weekend or Burnley Vs Southampton, come on lads.

If Spurs v Madrid is to decide who finishes 5 or 6th in a league Everton aren't in then I really couldn't give an eff.

 

[Everton1970]

Barcelona: the final against United was their finest moment. Took apart a very good United team that would have won it that year against any other team than a Barcelona with Xavi still pulling the strings.

Madrid: world class players right at the peak of their careers who get on top of and tamed a team like Atletico who's time had come to finally win a European Cup. Probably the most competitive team in the world that season. Madrid matched them and mastered them.

There have been NO teams that evem appraoch the level of those two outfits in the last five years....and you have to go back to 2002 to the Madrid team led by Zidane for the last great team prior to the 2011 Barcelona team.

Not on about Barca peak, we're talking of the last great time to win it. Can still be a great dude without bein the greatest. Madrid in the year in question, the 2 years previous and the one year afterwards, were never even Champions of Spain. In that 4 year period the only silverware this 'great' side won was the Champs league and the Copa del rey in 2014. Now, great sides dont just, 'happen' and I suppose great sides can just stop being great just as quick. So the 4 years, 2 years before 2014 and 1 year aftherwards is a fair sample and they have them 2 trophies to show for it. You say they matched and mastered Atleti that season. IN A ONE OFF GAME. They finished 3rd to them in the League. The Champions League is no longer for just Champions, I keep hearing. And yet Real qualified that years Champions League as Runners up. Would you say the RS are a great side for pushing the best team the Prem has ever seen and then winning the Champs League? As your argument above would suggest they'd be in the mix. No?

 

[davek]

Not on about Barca peak, we're talking of the last great time to win it. Can still be a great dude without bein the greatest. Madrid in the year in question, the 2 years previous and the one year afterwards, were never even Champions of Spain. In that 4 year period the only silverware this 'great' side won was the Champs league and the Copa del rey in 2014. Now, great sides dont just, 'happen' and I suppose great sides can just stop being great just as quick. So the 4 years, 2 years before 2014 and 1 year aftherwards is a fair sample and they have them 2 trophies to show for it. You say they matched and mastered Atleti that season. IN A ONE OFF GAME. They finished 3rd to them in the League. The Champions League is no longer for just Champions, I keep hearing. And yet Real qualified that years Champions League as Runners up. Would you say the RS are a great side for pushing the best team the Prem has ever seen and then winning the Champs League? As your argument above would suggest they'd be in the mix. No?

Sorry, you need to retrace this exchange back to its beginning: I clearly started off from "Peak Barcelona".

You've ended up chasing your own tail trying to prove me wrong ever since you took a wrong turn.

 

[Pudsey]

No. No one is remotely arsed about the CL now until it gets to the SF stages.

To belive that circus approaches the magnitude of the English title is about as muddleheaded as you can get.

That's the nature of cup competitions. Uninvolved people are not interested until the latter stages, although some on here delight in sadly painting themselves into ever decreasing corners to downplay certain events.

 

[davek]

That's the nature of cup competitions. Uninvolved people are not interested until the latter stages, although some on here delight in sadly painting themselves into ever decreasing corners to downplay certain events.

...most fans are uninvolded with the outcome of the title race, its still makes the PL season interesting every week though.

The CL was only ever bearable when it has truly great teams in it. There is no great teams no and there havn't been for years. It threw up a Milan or a Barcelona or Madrid team every decade or so who are truly remarkable. The rest of them are varying degrees of mediocre and worse than that.

The CL Final is a real specatcle. The rest of it is turgid. It has no cache anymore and that's why it's being revamped.