Former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has slammed the new format of the Champions League and claims the extended group stage, one giant league table, has “no edge”, this after having previously praised the new format…
New format previously praised by Strachan
You may recall that Strachan had previous praised the new format so it’s rather strange that he’s turned full circle and is now criticising the new format which is widely regarded as a major improvement and a huge success.
Perhaps the best time to judge would be after the group stage is finished and we see how the last games play out in terms of competitiveness and so on. It looks like teams will remain focused and committed to winning the points because the higher you finish the the better placed you are for the play-offs if you’re not in the top eight going automatically through.
Plenty at stake from top to bottom
Even the sides struggling at the bottom of the giant table will have financial considerations with around £2m available for a win. And then there is professional pride at stake, no club will want to slump like theRangers did a few years ago, losing every game and ending up with the worst record in Champions League history.
Having previously praised the new format Gordon Strachan explains how he currently feels about the new format Champions League and it’s clear he is not now a fan.
Speaking to Gambling Zone, Strachan said: “It’s a format designed to keep the old established clubs happy. I’ve got to say, there’s no edge. There’s definitely no edge to it when you’ve not got away against AC Milan after playing them at home and all that. If you said to the Celtic fans, who are you playing in the next match? No idea. Couldn’t tell you. But I’ve got to say, has anybody found this interesting at all? This has been change for the sake of change.”
Strachan is wrong about Celtic supporters
Not sure what Strachan is talking about here. Every Celtic supporter will know who we are playing next and the games that remain with everyone making their own score estimates and likely points total, with the optimists looking to see what we need to do to finish in the top eight.
Strachan, who oversaw some legendary Champions League nights at Celtic Park, did concede that the new format has helped Celtic and praised the “great performances” of Brendan Rodgers’ team in the competition this season and tipped them to get a good result on the road in Zagreb tonight and ultimately qualifying for a place in the play-offs.
Strachan says new format has helped Celtic
“I think the new format has helped them. There’s no doubt about it. I think Celtic have produced some great performances though. Like I said, they won at home. At Atlanta, away from home, getting a draw was terrific. So the new format has definitely helped them, but they’ve also helped themselves.
“It’s just dragged on a wee bit. There’s a lack of excitement there. And they’ve got a good chance of making it into the play-offs. They’ve definitely got a good chance against Zagreb. Zagreb took a real hit against Dortmund in their last game.
“I think Celtic will qualify for the play-offs. They’ve had a good week in the league playing different types of football, in different conditions, as we’ve seen. They’ve done well in Europe this season,” Strachan said.
READ THIS…Dinamo Zagreb v Celtic – Brendan Rodgers targets away win for supporters
