1. Being the domestic champion doesnt mean anything if you are tactically naive in Europe. Lowly Ajax handled Madrid and Juventus (the so called Giants of European football) before throwing the fateful second half in their spurs game. Madrid and Juventus were tactically naive. Has got nothing to do with their domestic form.
2. Define "4 best teams" please. Because the way I see it, there are no fixed 4 best teams. There are only 4 best teams every season. And they play in the semi finals. Also, out the top 4 teams this season, the two teams that bowed out, were their respective league champions. Which brings me back to point #1.
3. City and PSG beating any teams in a neutral venue is a moot point. Because it is not being played in a neutral venue. Hypothetical scenario and all that.
I normally agree with you. This isnt one of them. Just my 2 cents mate.
Point 3 is literally my point about the comp needing a refresh though. Home advantage for some teams is too big. Liverpool are looking at another final despite being abysmal away from home in Europe throughout the last 3 campaigns.
In any competition you want to see top teams playing each other at the business end. No one I. Europe would have Europe’s 4 best teams without City in it. Liverpool and Spurs both lost numerous games in the group stages and the knockout stages but a team potentially unbeaten in the tournament can go out on away goals after drawing a tie whilst a team that has lost up to 6 games and hasn’t won away from home at all can get to the final. It’s bizarre and doesn’t occur in any other competition.
Being domestic champions shows that over 38 games against all opponents home and away in different conditions you have prevailed as the best. Spurs can lose their last x number of games in the league, focus solely on the tie with City, still be outplayed tactically but can scrape past them on away goals. That wasn’t tactical naivety by City. They suffered by having to rotate for the first leg at Spurs due to having so many key games. We’ve seen Real do the same recently, sacking off their league games in order to raise their game for one off fixtures in the CL. Liverpool did the same last season. If Kompany hadn’t of scored v Leicester and Liverpool had the league in their hands I doubt very much they would have gone all out for that 4-0 win instead potentially resting players for their must win game against Wolves to be champions.
No one is saying that the CL isn’t a big trophy but it’s no longer delivering the best team in Europe as the winner. In fact the teams regarded as the best on the continent are struggling to make the latter stages even now.