Tuesday’s Real Madrid – AC Milan game will not go down as an epic duel in the annals of UEFA Champions League history. Nor was there the tingle of anticipation that usually precedes the moments of a great football match in Europe. It is November and although the two teams with the most European Cup titles are on the pitch, 22 in total, the excitement of a competition loaded with 189 matches dissipates reminiscent of a feeling similar to that of a great summer match. Is this Champions League better than the previous edition?
Contrary to what players from big clubs are asking for, this year the number of Champions League matches has been increased by 51%. From 125 to 189 in order to reach more corners of Europe, to have a group stage with great duels – at least in the line-up – and to broadcast many more matches, the direct consequence of which means more television revenue. But is this the future or is the competition becoming too diluted?
A TEST FOR FOOTBALL AND OTHER SPORTS
For the great coffee lover, is the dose in an espresso better or the same dose in an American coffee? The new Champions League model can serve as an ‘experiment’ both for the world of football and for other sports disciplines. If a product works, is it better to squeeze more out of it over time or leave it as it is? Is the essence perverted?
In sport, emotion must be the gravitational center for a product to work and, in this case, it is true that a Real Madrid – Milan match in November is not the same as the same match in spring. The big difference exists because of what is at stake. Nowadays, with five matches in the group stage, it is difficult to see a big team being eliminated and, therefore, it is difficult to see surprises or unexpected twists and turns (the spice of sport). This feeling is practically the opposite of the spirit of the classic European Cup, where there were scares or unexpected outcomes from the start with round-robin pairings that could send anyone home from the start. Like a tennis tournament, the competition made you pay attention from the start.
EXCITEMENT IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Until May, it is not possible to say exactly if this Champions League will have the same peaks of excitement as the previous one or if everything has been more concentrated in less time (the last months, when there is more at stake). Time and data will tell if this is the path to choose -which is the one suggested by the failed Super League project- or if it is better to concentrate more excitement in less time.
Continuing in Europe and another UEFA competition, the last European Championship was already stretched with more teams, matches and one more phase, will that work now? Will it work for other sports or competitions? What would happen if the Olympic Games were extended to three or four weeks? We will see if the king of sports can handle everything or if it has limits that cannot be exceeded.
