It always confused me why the Champions League wasn’t, you know, a league. We’ve reached a point where as a society, four-team groups just don’t excite us any more: suggestions that England were better off finishing second in their 2018 World Cup section were the first red flag, and FIFA briefly suggested getting rid of them altogether for the 2026 World Cup.
The (old) Champions League proves why they no longer move us. There was no peril whatsoever, as they all followed the same pattern: two big teams, two small teams, with the giants vying for first and second – unless you drew Sevilla, whose sole mission was to end up in the Europa League.
Even then, finishing top never guaranteed an easier last-16 tie.
