JigsawGoesToPieces

Its changed since we were in CL last there are no groups anymore you get drawn against 4 teams and play them home and away. As new-look Champions League begins, here's how the format works The UEFA Champions League is back, but not how we've ever seen it before. Some changes are simple, others are more complicated, and a few might seem a bit of a mystery until we get to Let's start with the basics. This season marks the first time in 21 years that we've had a format change for Europe's top club competition. For the previous 21 seasons, 32 teams qualified and were drawn into eight groups of four. The top two teams went through to the round of 16, with third dropping into the UEFA Cup/Europa League and fourth eliminated from Europe. We now have 36 teams, but they are no longer drawn into groups. Instead, we have the Champions League "league phase." So, how does it work? • Teams were drawn to play eight fixtures, four at home and four away • Teams in positions 25 to 36 are eliminated in January • The 16 teams in positions 9 through to 24 play in the knockout phase playoffs, in February, to earn a place in the round of 16 • The top eight go straight through to the round of 16, played in March Also new for this year: it's no longer possible to drop into the Europa League from the Champions League (or into the Conference League from the Europa League). Once you're out, you're out. From the knockout phase playoffs onwards, the competition retains its two-legged format through to the semifinals, with a traditional one-legged final, but with limited draws -- more on that later. Ok, so how were the fixtures created? Rather than groups, the Champions League draw created individual eight-game fixture lists for each of the 36 participants. Not much changed in how the draw looked on paper, as there were still four pots of teams that contained nine clubs rather than eight. But there were still some notable adjustments given the expanded field. How seeding changed Pot 1 used to house the holders of the Champions League and Europa League, plus the champions of the top six domestic leagues. Pots 2 through 4 would then be ordered by strength based on UEFA's club coefficient, which ranks clubs on performance in Europe over the previous five seasons. Now only the Champions League titleholders were automatically in Pot 1, all other positions are based upon the UEFA club coefficient. This is intended to give a sliding scale of strength down through the pots, so teams face two opponents from each bracket. However, the new Champions League format means the pot you are in has less relevance, as teams were drawn to play two clubs from their own pot. Under the old system, being in Pot 1 could give you a more generous draw, as you couldn't play teams from the strongest pot in the group phase. There were two main principles to the draw this season: • No club could play another team from their own league (for example, Arsenal couldn't play Aston Villa) • A club could play no more than two teams from one country (as Arsenal drew Inter and Atalanta, they couldn't then play Bologna)

Wonder how long before Sir Jim starts busking in Manchester to pay the bills

Happy Thursday everyone

About £18m in league prize money. Bet Brexit Jim will be crying into his cornflakes at the money lost.

Wonder how long before the yellow and green scarves come out in protest

Sky tweet still there for me?

From up here iirc, Hartlepool way?

We are willing to sell Longstaff for £10-£12m this summer according to Ronny Gill as in final year of contract

Quite a predictable formation tbf

Qualified: 1. Liverpool QUALIFIED FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2. Arsenal QUALIFIED FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 3. Newcastle (66 pts +22 GD) Everton (H) 4. Chelsea (66 pts +20 GD) Nottingham Forest (A) 5. Aston Villa (66 pts +9 GD) Man Utd (A) ‐‐-------------------- 6. Man City (65 pts +24 GD) Tuesday: Bournemouth (h) Fulham (a) --‐--------- 7. Nottingham Forest (65 pts +13 GD) Chelsea (H) Presume City win on Tuesday, we will be 4th and must win on Sunday as Villa should beat Man Utd and Chelsea should beat Forest

If Pickford has a game like Reya has had today, were fucked

Fuck does Howe say at half time So many times we come out 2nd half with our flip flops on with a cigar

Or did he want to go to Liverpool last summer and we pulled the plug and he took the huff?

Been wank most the season, turns up for a few big matches Since he had that wonder season and got into the England squad he's been pretty average IMO

Krafth booked within about 30 seconds of coming on ffs

Gordon seems to have gone to shit since he got in the England team.

been rubbish 2nd half like Arsenal lead - Declan Rice

Gordon's been poor this season mind Looks the shadow of the player he was a year or so ago.

Stupid from Burn that could have easily given away a pen

great stop that tbf

take a draw today considering no Isak

Denial of obvious goalscoring opportunity is a red card but handball itself i dont think is

England did it recently, was sent to monitor for a pen and stuck with it, was on that referee micd up programme with Webb and Michael 'Mr no personality' Owen

Moves to League place (7th)

At alcoholics anonymous more likely