Maybe just maybe the teams containing some of Europe’s best players must have lost to teams of even better players.
Seriously this is typical English exceptionalism that we get in football. There is something to be said for expanding the group stage to 24 or 32 but the Telegraph wouldn’t have written this if Manchester United and Arsenal hadn’t been knocked out in the qualifiers.
Hopefully UEFA will stick to their guns and privilege league champions over the high finishers of the richer leagues.
What i find interesting is that this is nothing new. Real madrid had to knock man city out in the qualifiers just to get to the gs 2 seasons in a row. Why the outrage now?
The “Champions” in Champions League is slightly more relevant in women’s football. But i think we’ll see format change in next year or soon. It’s inevitable for money.
What’s funny is though, the country that fought to destroy Super league (because of its elitism which is fair enough) has been crying non stop about UWCL format last 2 months. Why? Because Arsenal and ManUtd couldn’t beat teams from Paris.