The Champions League has undergone a major change this year, doing away with the group stage format and replacing it with a “league phase” — functioning, truly, as a mini-league where the top teams qualify for a play-off tournament.
It’s more games and less stakes in the initial Champions League draw. And Bayern Munich exec and former CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is all for it.
“The old group stage was boring because after the fourth matchday things were decided,” Rummenigge said in comments captured via @iMiaSanMia. “Now it is more difficult, even for the good clubs, to qualify. What is more difficult is more emotional. I’m convinced that the fans will gradually appreciate the new league phase more.”
Well, gone are the days of the groups of death — when one unlucky draw could land a Manchester United or FC Barcelona in the same group with the Bavarians and see them summarily dispatched to the Europa League.
But if interesting is what Bayern was after, it may have got more than it bargained for: after three matchdays, the Bavarians already have two losses — to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and to Hansi Flick’s Barça — and find themselves hovering near the bottom third of the table. They’ll need to ascend to top-eight in order to automatically qualify for the knockout rounds.
The climb can begin when Bayern host Portuguese giants SL Benfica. ◆
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s upcoming Champions League match with Benfica, along with a reaction to Bayern Munich drawing Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal? What about our takes on the latest news regarding Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané, and Alphonso Davies — and what might happen if Bayern actually finds a way to ink them all? Great, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
