In this new format, honestly I feel something different from before, I feel the competition is more interesting because all clubs are in the same table which makes them have to compete with all the clubs in the European League. Although only playing 8 matches, but in those 8 matches all clubs must do their best to be able to win and be able to go further in the European League. Many clubs have the same points, they cannot relax because the difference in goal difference alone will make them eliminated faster in this early round.
That's the reality, I also really like the new format like this even though it does, at least make the match schedule even denser. But anyway, that's what makes it even more interesting, because each team will find it difficult to maintain the performance and fitness of each player, so the results are not always good for them and then force them to rotate players to keep their performance stable. But even so, of course there are still some teams that still succeed with goodresults and also, their competition to be in the top eight and or to be able to finish in the top eight is also not entirely easy. Although at first maybe the position for the top eight could be an advantage for the top European teams, but in reality it is still not easy at all.
We are almost nearing the end of this first stage. Indeed initially many talked about the advantages of only strong teams that would be favored with the new format at the beginning of this season. But after seeing what happened, the reality is that the competition will be real to fight for tickets to qualify for the next round.
The tight schedule should not be a problem for teams that are used to rotating their players. But we can see several types of coaches who always use almost the same players in their squad. Of course, it can interfere with player performance, especially if added to the international match defending the national team.
The European League and the Champions League are now running interestingly. Even some of the favored teams are also having difficulty reaching the top 8. It seems that this format will continue to be maintained.