• Re: What, no European Super League thread?

    From Werner Pichler@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Dec 2 10:30:42 2020
    On Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 12:07:38 PM UTC+1, Werner Pichler wrote:
    On Monday, 5 November 2018 23:09:53 UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:
    On Sunday, 4 November 2018 23:11:11 UTC, Futbolmetrix wrote:

    I used to think a European Super League would be a terrible thing for the reasons you've mentioned. However, years of watching national champions lose
    by four or five goals to super rich teams who only finished third or fourth
    in their national league has changed my mind. I'd be happy to see the biggest
    and richest 16 fight it out amongst themselves.

    But then there's also this issue: these so-called Super Clubs are only Super Clubs exactly because they regularly dish out these wallopings. In a European
    Super League with a franchise system logically some of these supposed big teams
    would suddenly find themselves at the losing end - e.g. I can't see Milan being
    currently competitive in such an environment.

    For how many years could that go on before participation would actually become
    detrimental for a club like Milan? I mean, noone wants to be the Detroit Lions,
    right?

    I've underestimated UEFA's resourcefulness. If, as has been reported, they manage
    to replace the current Champions League format with a chess-style Swiss System tournament that would solve the above problem.

    I actually find the idea intriguing.

    Ciao,
    Werner
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From MH@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Dec 2 11:44:56 2020
    On 2020-12-02 11:30, Werner Pichler wrote:
    On Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 12:07:38 PM UTC+1, Werner Pichler wrote:
    On Monday, 5 November 2018 23:09:53 UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:
    On Sunday, 4 November 2018 23:11:11 UTC, Futbolmetrix wrote:

    I used to think a European Super League would be a terrible thing for the >>> reasons you've mentioned. However, years of watching national champions lose
    by four or five goals to super rich teams who only finished third or fourth >>> in their national league has changed my mind. I'd be happy to see the biggest
    and richest 16 fight it out amongst themselves.

    But then there's also this issue: these so-called Super Clubs are only Super >> Clubs exactly because they regularly dish out these wallopings. In a European
    Super League with a franchise system logically some of these supposed big teams
    would suddenly find themselves at the losing end - e.g. I can't see Milan being
    currently competitive in such an environment.

    For how many years could that go on before participation would actually become
    detrimental for a club like Milan? I mean, noone wants to be the Detroit Lions,
    right?

    I've underestimated UEFA's resourcefulness. If, as has been reported, they manage
    to replace the current Champions League format with a chess-style Swiss System
    tournament that would solve the above problem.

    Sounds interesting. How many teams would be allowed in it ?

    I actually find the idea intriguing.

    Ciao,
    Werner

    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Werner Pichler@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Dec 2 11:09:57 2020
    On Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 7:44:59 PM UTC+1, MH wrote:
    On 2020-12-02 11:30, Werner Pichler wrote:
    On Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 12:07:38 PM UTC+1, Werner Pichler wrote:
    On Monday, 5 November 2018 23:09:53 UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:
    On Sunday, 4 November 2018 23:11:11 UTC, Futbolmetrix wrote:

    I used to think a European Super League would be a terrible thing for the
    reasons you've mentioned. However, years of watching national champions lose
    by four or five goals to super rich teams who only finished third or fourth
    in their national league has changed my mind. I'd be happy to see the biggest
    and richest 16 fight it out amongst themselves.

    But then there's also this issue: these so-called Super Clubs are only Super
    Clubs exactly because they regularly dish out these wallopings. In a European
    Super League with a franchise system logically some of these supposed big teams
    would suddenly find themselves at the losing end - e.g. I can't see Milan being
    currently competitive in such an environment.

    For how many years could that go on before participation would actually become
    detrimental for a club like Milan? I mean, noone wants to be the Detroit Lions,
    right?

    I've underestimated UEFA's resourcefulness. If, as has been reported, they manage
    to replace the current Champions League format with a chess-style Swiss System
    tournament that would solve the above problem.

    Sounds interesting. How many teams would be allowed in it ?

    Same number as now, 32.
    10 rounds, 5 home, 5 away in the Swiss System. Then continue as before with the Round
    of 16, but in the old Copa Libertadores way with 1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, etc.

    Biggest challenge would be organization. In the Swiss System you don't know who you're
    going to play in the next round until the end of the current one. Perhaps not a coincidence
    they are pushing this now that there are hardly any spectators in the stands.

    I can see the appeal of the idea. Currently a lot of group matches in the last two rounds
    are dead rubbers, and that wouldn't be the case in the new format. At the same time, the big
    guns get what they want as they'll be more likely to play against other big guns, with the
    added safety net that if you slip down the ladder you get easier opponents. But the teams
    on the level below also will have more chances to win games against opponents of similar
    strength. It's a bit the same system they've implemented in the Nations League.

    I have a feeling such a change would also cement a development that could be observed
    over the last couple of years: the big 4 grow ever more dominant, but below them the playing
    field is actually levelled. France, Portugal, Russia are now closer to the countries below (Belgium,
    Netherlands, Austria, Ukraine, Scotland) than they are to closing the gap to the four above.


    Ciao,
    Werner
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Futbolmetrix@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Dec 2 11:37:26 2020
    On Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 1:30:45 PM UTC-5, Werner Pichler wrote:
    I've underestimated UEFA's resourcefulness. If, as has been reported, they manage
    to replace the current Champions League format with a chess-style Swiss System
    tournament that would solve the above problem.

    I actually find the idea intriguing.

    Now I have to look up what a chess-style Swiss System is...
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Real Mardin@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Dec 2 14:10:13 2020
    On Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 7:09:59 PM UTC, Werner Pichler wrote:
    On Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 7:44:59 PM UTC+1, MH wrote:
    On 2020-12-02 11:30, Werner Pichler wrote:
    On Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 12:07:38 PM UTC+1, Werner Pichler wrote:
    On Monday, 5 November 2018 23:09:53 UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:
    On Sunday, 4 November 2018 23:11:11 UTC, Futbolmetrix wrote:

    I used to think a European Super League would be a terrible thing for the
    reasons you've mentioned. However, years of watching national champions lose
    by four or five goals to super rich teams who only finished third or fourth
    in their national league has changed my mind. I'd be happy to see the biggest
    and richest 16 fight it out amongst themselves.

    But then there's also this issue: these so-called Super Clubs are only Super
    Clubs exactly because they regularly dish out these wallopings. In a European
    Super League with a franchise system logically some of these supposed big teams
    would suddenly find themselves at the losing end - e.g. I can't see Milan being
    currently competitive in such an environment.

    For how many years could that go on before participation would actually become
    detrimental for a club like Milan? I mean, noone wants to be the Detroit Lions,
    right?

    I've underestimated UEFA's resourcefulness. If, as has been reported, they manage
    to replace the current Champions League format with a chess-style Swiss System
    tournament that would solve the above problem.

    Sounds interesting. How many teams would be allowed in it ?
    Same number as now, 32.
    10 rounds, 5 home, 5 away in the Swiss System. Then continue as before with the Round
    of 16, but in the old Copa Libertadores way with 1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, etc.

    Biggest challenge would be organization. In the Swiss System you don't know who you're
    going to play in the next round until the end of the current one. Perhaps not a coincidence
    they are pushing this now that there are hardly any spectators in the stands.

    I can see the appeal of the idea. Currently a lot of group matches in the last two rounds
    are dead rubbers, and that wouldn't be the case in the new format. At the same time, the big
    guns get what they want as they'll be more likely to play against other big guns, with the
    added safety net that if you slip down the ladder you get easier opponents. But the teams
    on the level below also will have more chances to win games against opponents of similar
    strength. It's a bit the same system they've implemented in the Nations League.

    I have a feeling such a change would also cement a development that could be observed
    over the last couple of years: the big 4 grow ever more dominant, but below them the playing
    field is actually levelled. France, Portugal, Russia are now closer to the countries below (Belgium,
    Netherlands, Austria, Ukraine, Scotland) than they are to closing the gap to the four above.


    Ciao,
    Werner

    Are you able to recommend a site not behind a paywall which doesn't require me giving tracking cookie consent to some tabloid rag which explains the tournament format clearly?

    Thanks for the news bulletin, I have to confess this had passed me by. I also have to confess to feeling a warm glow inside at seeing a thread I started two years ago revived!

    RM
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)