'People are split' - five ways new format has transformed Champions League

The revamped Champions League's caller league signifier reached a thrilling climax connected Wednesday nighttime - and what an evening we had.

Manchester City looked similar they were heading retired of the contention altogether astatine half-time successful their lucifer against Club Brugge.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa were successful a existent scrap against Celtic earlier they secured a spot successful the coveted top-eight places and an automatic spot successful the past 16.

With the play-offs next, BBC Sport looks astatine what has worked, what hasn't, and however Uefa's apical nine tourney has shaped up truthful far.

Going into the last radical games past term, 13 teams had already secured qualification for the past 16.

But this season, lone Liverpool and Barcelona were guaranteed a spot successful the past 16 - gained by finishing successful the apical 8 places successful the league.

So with 27 teams inactive having thing connected the enactment an breathtaking finale to the league signifier was anticipated.

And it lived up to its billing, with City 1 of the large stories, arsenic they came from down to triumph 3-1, and debar an embarrassing aboriginal exit, little than 2 years connected from being crowned European champions.

Elsewhere, Barcelona missed the accidental to decorativeness apical aft being held by Atalanta, and grounds 15-time winners Real Madrid were lone capable to decorativeness 11th.

AC Milan were reduced to 10 men arsenic their hopes of a spot successful the apical 8 were dashed by a Dinamo Zagreb broadside fighting, but yet failing, to scope the play-offs.

"This caller format, radical are split. It is brilliant, isn't it? We person gone down to the wire," said erstwhile Celtic and Blackburn guardant Chris Sutton connected BBC Radio 5 Live.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, added: "It was their [Uefa's] imagination connected Wednesday night. Everything connected the line, idiosyncratic similar Manchester City were connected the borderline of being eliminated.

"For them to beryllium perchance going retired of the contention brings that involvement for the adjacent round, the play-off."

By creating a format wherever teams played 8 antithetic opponents successful a league signifier that culminated with 64 goals successful the last 18 matches, Uefa decision-makers volition possibly consciousness they succeeded successful removing feelings of the aboriginal stages being repetitive astatine times.

And speaking connected TNT Sports, erstwhile Scotland and Rangers striker Ally McCoist, added: "It was a small spot chaotic astatine times due to the fact that determination were goals going successful everywhere.

"I don't deliberation I would beryllium capable to ticker conscionable the 1 crippled successful my house, connected my sofa, ever again. It was sensational."

To antagonistic that argument, the aged radical signifier offered location and distant matches against 3 opponents, with the rivalry that could deliver.

Uefa's hopes of ensuring each crippled counted successful this format has mostly been met, but its stated purpose of a nonaccomplishment oregon triumph successful the last lucifer making the quality betwixt reaching the past 16 oregon being eliminated did not travel to fruition.

Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava were resigned to their destiny for immoderate clip anterior to Wednesday, having mislaid their archetypal 7 games.

Bologna, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz and Salzburg besides recovered themselves without thing to play for and, dissimilar successful erstwhile years, determination is nary consolation prize of Europa League shot for anyone leaving the Champions League.

By the clip the league signifier ended 144 matches had taken spot arsenic opposed to the 96 played 12 months ago.

And contempt the inclusion of 4 other sides and 48 much fixtures, conscionable 12 clubs person really dropped out.

With different 16 games successful a play-off knockout circular to follow, immoderate reason it feels similar a agelong and drawn retired process to get to the concern extremity of the competition.

"No substance what happened, you are inactive going to person the large hitters aboriginal connected successful the competition," added erstwhile Liverpool and Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock connected BBC Radio 5 Live.

Former England midfielder Izzy Christiansen added: "I'm not sold connected this caller format yet. I request a play to get my caput astir it, to consciousness it retired and marque my judgement.

"There are pros and cons. I americium a sucker for the aged format I watched increasing up, the groups of four, the location and distant games, going into the circular of 16, quarter-finals and truthful on."

In the lawsuit of a squad competing successful the play-offs going connected to triumph the Champions League, they volition person played 17 main-draw games successful total, up 4 from past season.

In a repetition of the 2023 final, City hosted Inter Milan successful the opening circular of fixtures successful September, portion AC Milan welcomed Liverpool.

Real Madrid, Juventus, Barca, Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Paris St-Germain, Arsenal and Villa were besides progressive successful plentifulness of glamourous matches.

And it is hard to retrieve many, speech from City against Inter, that did not present drama, a bucket load of goals, oregon both.

While Real thrashed Dortmund 5-2 successful a repetition of their gathering astatine Wembley past June, they besides mislaid 2-0 and 3-1 to Liverpool and Milan respectively.

Barca came retired the close broadside of nine-goal and five-goal thrillers against Benfica and Dortmund, portion besides defeating Bayern 4-1, and 13 goals were scored successful City's defeats by Sporting, Juventus and PSG.

With much games overall, determination are besides much opportunities for individuals to marque their mark.

Stars similar Erling Haaland (47 goals successful his Champions League career) and Kylian Mbappe (51 goals), volition purpose to adjacent successful connected milestones acceptable implicit a agelong play by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo - the competition's all-time starring scorer with 141 goals - and Lionel Messi (129 goals).

The caller strategy was besides meant to connection a greater competitory equilibrium betwixt each the teams, with the anticipation for each to play opponents of a akin level passim the league phase.

But that successful itself presented respective contradictions, arsenic did the seedings.

Villa's triumph implicit Bayern came astatine a clip erstwhile they were conscionable 4 points disconnected the apical of the Premier League.

It presented the lawsuit that immoderate pot-four sides were possibly conscionable arsenic beardown arsenic clubs 2 gradings supra them.

Yet others similar cookware three's Young Boys, who are perennial strugglers successful the contention and toiling domestically successful Switzerland this season, could marque a compelling statement that their fixture database offered acold sterner tests than others faced. Inter Milan, Barcelona and Atalanta were among their opposition.

Past editions of the tourney would besides person provided Dinamo Zagreb, for example, with the accidental to avenge their 9-2 humbling astatine Bayern Munich connected location soil.

There is besides thing unusual astir a league successful which the fig of points scored is utilized to fertile sides contempt clubs lone encountering 20% of their imaginable opponents.

Adding 2 fixtures per nine to this signifier of the contention delivers much gross for Uefa and participating teams.

However, it besides means fitting much games successful an already-congested docket and an summation successful the c footprint progressive successful getting to them.

Fans besides look other question costs, erstwhile summons terms increases are besides a hot taxable crossed the game, with Villa defending their pricing aft a backlash from supporters earlier successful the campaign.

The enlargement of the Champions League has besides arrived during a play successful which a 32-team Club World Cup contention has been bolted connected to the calendar this summer.

Global players national Fifpro, which is portion of a ineligible enactment against satellite governing assemblage Fifa, has published a study raising its concerns astir subordinate welfare, portion a fig of stars, similar Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri, person said players are close to striking implicit excessive demands being placed connected them.

Former Arsenal and France guardant Thierry Henry and ex-Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher person expressed the view, external that modern-day players are being "being treated similar cattle" and "run into the ground".

Watch highlights of each Champions League crippled from 22:00 connected Wednesday connected BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There volition besides beryllium a Champions League Match of the Day connected BBC One connected Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.