Pundit Ally McCoist tells Sports Mole that the new Champions League format is “better for the game” and praises teams like Celtic for their performance on matchday one.
Champions League commentator Ally McCoist has told Sports Mole that the revamped format for the 2024-25 competition is “better for the game”, despite criticism from players, fans and journalists.
The usual 32-team group stage of the Champions League has been replaced by a league phase in which 36 clubs are entered into one league table, and after each team has played eight times, the top eight will qualify to the round of 16 while the subsequent 16 sides compete in playoff ties in order to reach the next round.
A number of players have spoken out against the format due to the increased fixture congestion, with suggestions of a strike even being mooted, while matchday one saw a number of one-sided results, including six teams winning by three or more goals and Bayern Munich becoming the first team in Champions League history to score nine times in a match.
However, when asked whether the new league phase has improved on the previous iteration of the Champions League, McCoist told Sports Mole: “I think it was better for the tournament, better for the game.
“I looked at it, looked at the new format and I was pretty hopeful and pretty optimistic that would be the case, and I know it’s still very, very early in proceedings, but nothing’s changed my mind on that. I’m still quite happy with it, I’m happy with the way it’s started.
“As I say, prior to the tournament starting I was hopeful and optimistic, and I’m remaining that way at this moment in time.”
Bayern Munich have taken an early lead at the top of the league table after their incredible 9-2 win against Dinamo Zagreb, with Celtic, Aston Villa and Liverpool the only British clubs in the top eight after one matchweek.
The new league phase means that there will now be a total of 189 matches played in the Champions League this season, an increase of 64 from 125 last term.
Rangers legend McCoist heaps praise on “fantastic” Celtic
The removal of the group stage and the implementation of a league table means that every one of the tournament’s 36 teams are in competition with each other, and this means that every result can have implications for qualification.
Indeed, Celtic are currently third in the table and have more points than the likes of Manchester City, AC Milan and Arsenal, and McCoist believes this is an example of how the tournament’s new format has benefitted sides that would normally not qualify for the round of 16.
McCoist told Sports Mole: “The Celtic result, which was fantastic by the way, phenomenal result, all of a sudden their fans are out thinking, they’re looking at their fixtures and thinking ‘can we qualify outright’, which is great!
“No it is, it’s great! And I was at the Inter Milan-City game where I thought Inter Milan played well, really, really well, deserved a point. I’ve watched Atalanta-Arsenal, so I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve seen so far.”
Opta analysis suggests that just 10 points is almost certain to lead to a top-24 finish and qualify sides for the round of 16 playoff tie, so Celtic’s opening day victory could prove to be pivotal in their quest to remain in the tournament.
Celtic take on Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday in their second match of the 2024-25 Champions League, and will be looking for their first away win in the competition since July 2019.
© Imago
McCoist: Fans “getting bigger games”
UEFA stated the desire for more frequent clashes between top European sides was one reason for the new Champions League format, and fans have already been treated to games such as AC Milan vs. Liverpool, and can look forward to Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
The prospect of seeing more matchups between Europe’s elite is something that McCoist believes to be positive.
“There were a few games in the last few, kind of format, where you’d probably call them dead rubber effectively,” McCoist told Sports Mole.
“We might still get one or two of them in this new format, but the thing that does appeal to me already, you think about it – we’ve had Manchester City-Inter Milan, Atalanta-Arsenal.
“I think we’re definitely getting bigger games where the big clubs now really are thinking ‘well we can’t afford to take our foot off the gas at all here really, we need to see how this league campaign’s going’. And from that point of view, I like it, I must admit. I like it!”
Fans will also be able to watch Aston Villa on Wednesday when they travel to face Bayern Munich, who then face Barcelona in late October, while another standout fixture of the league phase will see Liverpool take on Real Madrid at Anfield in late November.
Ally McCoist was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of talkSPORT bet.