What is the ‘Swiss model’ set to be used in the Champions League, and why have big clubs chosen a system common to chess but unheard of in football? March 30, 2021 The biggest changes to the Champions League for 20 years – including the introduction of the controversial “Swiss model” – are set to be rubber-stamped in April. From 2024, it will mean more teams, more matches and a new format common to chess and croquet that, until now, was unheard of in elite European football. [...]
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish says Champions League expansion plans will have ‘devastating effect’ on English football March 10, 2021 Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has called plans to expand the Champions League and change the qualifying criteria “very concerning”. Europe’s top football clubs and governing body Uefa have proposed an overhaul that would create 100 more fixtures and allocate extra places on the basis of historical success from 2024. “With the assault on the [...]
Goals galore: Why the return of the Champions League and Europa League is good news for fans (and bad news for goalkeepers) March 9, 2021 The Champions League and Europa League resume this week and – *checks calculator* – that is good news for the armchair football fan. After a lively, goal-strewn start, excitement in the Premier League has plateaued as the season has rumbled on, leading to fears that fatigue had taken hold owing to a short pre-season and [...]
Why are English clubs playing Champions League and Europa League matches at neutral venues? February 16, 2021 Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are all playing Champions League fixtures at neutral venues this month. The same is true for Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the Europa League. So why is it happening? Why have both legs of Arsenal’s tie been moved? Why is Leicester’s trip to Prague unaffected? And what does [...]
Champions League draw: Liverpool get RB Leipzig and Chelsea face Atletico Madrid in last 16 December 14, 2020 Liverpool have been paired with Manchester United’s conquerors RB Leipzig in the Champions League draw for the last 16. Chelsea face Atletico Madrid, while Manchester City will play Borussia Moenchengladbach. Barcelona face Paris Saint-Germain in perhaps the tie of the round, which begins in February. Holders Bayern Munich were drawn against Lazio, while Real Madrid [...]
Champions League trends in six charts: Goals, possession, set-pieces and most effective goalkeepers and forwards October 27, 2020 How many goals per game do you get in the Champions League? How are those goals being scored? And is it all changing? Uefa’s technical report on last season’s Champions League answers all those questions and more. It’s a goldmine of insights that reveals how football is subtly shifting at the very highest level. The [...]
Champions League 2020-21: How prize money is calculated and why the winners don’t always get paid the most October 20, 2020 Winning the Champions League is not just about the glory; it also comes with a major prize money windfall of more than €100m for the eventual winner. Last season Bayern Munich earned an estimated €130m for lifting the trophy, while Liverpool pocketed €111m in 2018-19. But precisely how much a run in European football’s top [...]
Champions League behind the numbers: Richest clubs, most valuable squads and players 2020-21 October 20, 2020 The Champions League begins again in earnest this week when the cream of European football kick off the group stage. It comes less than two months after Bayern Munich lifted the trophy in a coronavirus-delayed conclusion to last season. Despite that success, the German club do not have the most valuable squad in this year’s [...]