Paris Saint-Germain were crowned Champions League winners for the first time last season, becoming the first team to win the competition in its new format.
The Ligue 1 champions found it difficult to adapt to the change in structure early on and were even at risk of getting dumped out in the League Phase.
But they managed to turn it around in the knockout phase and grew into a team that sent fear down the spine of their opponents.
They were ruthless en route to the finish line, and they got the job done in historic fashion.
Fans who bought Champions League tickets from Seatsnet.com got a first-hand view of PSG’s dominance as they annihilated Inter Milan 5-0 in the final to finally get their hands on the elusive title.
PSG’s Champions League success was the headline of a campaign that will go down in the history books not just for the way it ended, but also for the dramatic overhaul in format.
UEFA implemented a new Swiss-style league phase format, which was the most significant structural tweak since the group stage was introduced over three decades ago.
As expected, it was received with mixed opinions, but after months of high-stakes drama, nail-biting finishes, unexpected upsets, and plenty of confusion, let’s assess whether it can be considered a success.
A radical change to the status quo
Heading into the season, UEFA ditched the traditional Champions League format that split teams into eight groups of four and replaced it with a single 36-team league table.
They introduced a roulette of unpredictable fixtures with every team playing eight different opponents, four home and four away.
The top eight were guaranteed automatic qualification to the round of 16, while those ranked 9th to 24th had to slug it out and earn their spot through a play-off round.
It was a massive shift from what the football world was used to. And yet, somehow, it worked – at least, if you ask PSG.
After a bumpy start, Enrique’s troops made it to the Champions League play-off round by the skin of their teeth, finishing 15th in the league phase.
They lost three of their first five games, which would have been enough to send them packing under the old format. But the new design gave them a lifeline, which paved the way for their remarkable success.
They won the final three games, obliterated Ligue 1 rivals Brest in the play-off by a 10-0 aggregate scoreline before eliminating table-toppers Liverpool in the last 16. The rest is history.
PSG’s success was a win for the very essence of the new system, rewarding resilience and a fighting spirit, not just early dominance.
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha made his feelings clear about the new format.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “There were lots of good games in the group stage and lots of big moments, and not just when the big teams have played each other either.
“While PSG are clearly a top-quality side, their journey shows that finding form at the right time is what matters. They were out of the top 24 until they won their penultimate game.
“That’s another thing I like about the format, because PSG have shown that in the future, it doesn’t matter if you don’t make the top eight.”
More matches, more drama
Onuoha may have been on to something with his comments about the new format. Teams are not necessarily doomed if they don’t start firing on all cylinders right out of the blocks.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The sheer complexity of the league table left fans, analysts, and even managers scratching their heads.
At Villa Park on the final league phase matchday, while Aston Villa played Celtic in a nerve-racking contest, fans were glued to score updates flashing on big screens.
A goal in Atalanta’s game suddenly had implications for Villa’s chances. The simultaneous nature of the final round created endless permutations, adding to the tension, but also the confusion.
It was chaos. But it was thrilling chaos.
Only two matches on matchday eight were genuine dead rubbers. The rest carried weight, either for qualification, securing a play-off spot, or even seeding.
Out of the 36 teams that were in action, 27 had something on the line. Under the previous system, many groups would have been settled before the final round.
But this time around, it was highly unpredictable. From 3rd to 23rd in the table, only six points separated the teams going into the final round. For once, every game really did count.
The new Champions League format wasn’t always in the pipeline, at least not until whispers of the Super League coming back to life became the talk of the town.
The new format was a move to keep the threat of the breakaway Super League in the shadows. It was always as much a political move as a sporting one.
UEFA hoped to appease the financial ambitions of its top clubs by guaranteeing more high-profile fixtures and more revenue-generating games for Europe’s elite.
They may not have planned to jack the intensity up a notch, but the new format did just that.
Was the new format ultimately a success?
That depends on who you ask. For PSG, it was the best thing since sliced bread.
For a team like Dinamo Kyiv, not so much, especially as they were eliminated despite racking up 11 points while Manchester City limped through with an identical tally.
Despite UEFA’s “Every Game Counts” slogan, nine teams had already been eliminated before the last matchday. Shakhtar Donetsk needed a near-impossible five-goal swing to stay alive.
With 24 of the 36 teams qualifying directly or entering the play-offs, the cushion was wide enough that some poor runs, like Man City’s three losses in four matches, didn’t spell the end of their campaign.
City even made it to the knockouts despite flirting with disaster. Many still believe it’s a move that favours the elites, but in fairness, they were put through the wringer.
Barcelona, Arsenal, and Inter Milan all reached the semi-finals, but only Liverpool managed a clean run through the league phase, and they were eventually knocked out by PSG.
Nothing was guaranteed. The usual culprits had to bring their A-game, and it made for better competition.
This season proved that reinvention is not entirely a bad idea. For all its flaws, the Swiss format delivered an unpredictable, exhilarating and memorable tournament.
It made every week of European football matter. For UEFA, that’s mission accomplished.
