How radical new ‘Swiss system’ Champions League plans will look

In this article, we take a look at how radical new ‘Swiss system’ Champions League plans will look if they are eventually approved.

The top tier European competition is reportedly set for a major overhaul as UEFA gets ready to put forward their newest ideas forward, reportedly within the next two weeks.

A report in The Times earlier this week revealed how UEFA want to satisfy their biggest clubs by offering more matches between the top teams and stopping the threat of a possible breakaway Super League, something backed by Man Utd and Liverpool.

UEFA are due to discuss plans over a change to the structure to the group phase of the competition that would see clubs playing ten matches against ten different opponents.

It would see 32 or 36 teams put together into a single league table, and getting rid of groups because the idea has grown old and provided hardly any shocks, though this year we could potentially see Real Madrid crash out at the group stage for the first time ever, sitting third after 5 games played.

Teams would jostle for position in the league table throughout the autumn and winter but they would not all play each other.

Now get ready to wrap your brains around how it all works. A random draw, with teams placed in four pots as is done now, would throw up a team’s 10 fixtures, all against different opponents.

Five matches would then be at home and five away with teams then competing for points in a single league table format, like the Premier League table, and the top 16 clubs would go on to the knockout stages.

The last-16 ties would then be decided by the final league standings.

So whoever are the top of the league table would play the team that came 16th, the second would take on 15th and so on.

A team’s finishing position will make matches towards the end of the group stage as exciting and unique as those at the start.

Those teams who finished in positions 17 to 24 would drop down into the Europa League. Here’s a chart to explain it all…

When could this be implemented? UEFA are looking at introducing the ‘Swiss system’ from 2024, when the current Champions League deal expires.

It would give each team four matches more than the current group stage format, placing more pressure on football’s already congested calendar. But hey, it’s all amount money when it comes to UEFA.

UEFA vice-president David Gill has now suggested this format could spell the end for English clubs participating in Europe from playing in the League Cup, with the EFL chief Rick Parry (formerly a CEO at Liverpool), suggesting under 23 squad played instead of the senior team to help with fitness etc.

Gill told The Times: “The FA has already reduced the number of FA Cup replays, [but] what happens with the League Cup?

“That question has been around for many years, and can compensation be looked at to help the EFL clubs?”

POTENTIAL LIVERPOOL FIXTURES

Real Madrid (pot 1)

PSG (pot 1)

Borussia Dortmund (pot 2)

Shakhtar Donetsk (pot 2)

Ajax (pot 2)

RB Leipzig (pot 3)

Lazio (pot 3)

Krasnodar (pot 3)

Club Brugge (pot 4)

Rennes (pot 4)

POTENTIAL MAN CITY FIXTURES

Bayern Munich (pot 1)

Porto (pot 1)

Real Madrid (pot 1)

Barcelona (pot 2)

Borussia Dortmund (pot 2)

Dynamo Kiev (pot 3)

Inter Milan (pot 3)

Lokmotiv Moscow (pot 4)

Borussia Monchengladbach (pot 4)

Ferencvaros (pot 4)

*Both draws based on mock run-throughs from The Times

Fans reacted at how radical new ‘Swiss system’ Champions League plans will look…

arsenal fan it wouldn’t affect you

— LukeG24 (@G24Luke) December 2, 2020

I was a bit sceptical at first but I actually think it would be more interesting to fans, v few dead games, more variety in opponents. If clubs want more CL matches (and they appear to) this seems best way.

— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) December 1, 2020

And that’s terrible format

— Adam coussins (@adamcoussins) December 2, 2020

Spurs haven’t won their domestic league for 50 years. They shouldn’t be anywhere near the top table. How can you compare them to multiple champions and European cup winners Porto?

— Tree (@garrinchabird) December 1, 2020

Why not just go back to the old days. A 2 legged knockout tournament that you only saw highlights in Sportsnight with David Coleman having avoided the score. When European nights we special.

— Kevin Barry (@seagull1901) December 1, 2020

Why do they keep trying to change things footballl us good as it is already

— _ (@KDB_Mcfc17) December 1, 2020

Klopp will go mad if his poor darlings have to play six extra games.

Unless the money is right, of course. As we know with our top clubs, anything goes if there is enough cash to be had.

— iconforourtimes (@iconforourtimes) December 1, 2020

Sounds alright to me.

— Frank Gaudino (@FrankGaudino) December 1, 2020

Horrendous

— CampioneLFC (@sparkysegal) December 1, 2020

This is a stupid idea.

— Aled Davies (@AledCaled) December 1, 2020

What a fucking stupid idea

— UnitedFan21 (@attalias21) December 1, 2020