Chelsea boss Tuchel hits out at the new Champions League format

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel unhappy with new Champions League format

According to Daily Mail, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is unhappy with the new Champions League format. Amidst the whole European Super League ballyhoo, UEFA passed a new 36-team Champions League format, set to come into effect from the 2024-25 season.

Chelsea are set to face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final over two legs in the next 10 days. The Blues have been mighty impressive under Thomas Tuchel after knocking out the likes of Atletico Madrid and Porto in the last rounds. However, that has not stopped Tuchel from criticizing the new Champions League format.

Aleksander Ceferin File Photo File photo dated 03-12-2018 of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin during the UEFA Nations League Finals draw at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin. Issue date: Wednesday January 27, 2021.

UEFA passed the new Champions League format or the ‘Swiss Model’ in the midst of the ESL saga. The new format will increase the number of participants to 36 and there will be no groups. Each team will be required to play 10 games, 5 home and 5 away.

The top eight teams will qualify to the round of 16, while the next 16 sides play a two-legged playoff to add the rest of the eight sides. After that, the knockouts proceed as usual. The problem with this format is that sides will play four extra games in the ‘group stage’ and Tuchel iterated the same.

Chelsea s head coach Thomas Tuchel reacts during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Chelsea FC and FC Porto at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, 13 April 2021.

‘I am not sure if I like it, I can only see more games out of it and more games in the schedule that we have is very hard for me to be excited at all. All these discussions about the Super League made us forget that we have a new format of the UCL. Did they ask any coach about this? I don’t think so, they didn’t ask me. Did they ask any player about it? I don’t think so.’
‘We have so many new formats; a new Nations League, World Championship for clubs is coming soon, more games, more teams. It is just more, and more, and more games but not more quality. Who should play these games? At the same time, we have three subs here in the Premier League. No I am not happy about this format at all.’

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It is understandable that Tuchel would speak out in such a way. The season is already filled with so many games and now there will be more to deal will. It almost feels that UEFA somewhat bent to the demands of the big sides and added more games to raise more revenue. However, this could have adverse effects on players and managers in the future.