An unmistakable scent, that of the old Champions Cup, which presided over the draw for the round of 16 of the Champions League, in the latest version of its current format. The economy rules, the big names threaten with exclusive models and UEFA wants to maintain absolute control of the most prestigious competition in the world. While the future of competition is fiercely played out in offices, this kind of sentimental return to a slightly less rigid phase of football is comforting.
Three patricians of European football – Real Madrid, Bayern and Liverpool, winners of 25 editions – and a brilliant nouveau riche – Paris Saint Germain – will solve their problems in February. That is, into infinity and beyond. We are going through the uncertainties of a period in which an unknown virus forced the 2020 final to be played behind closed doors and the invasion of Ukraine forced it to be held in Paris and not in St. Petersburg. We are in the year in which the World Cup is organized for the first time in the autumn, due to the attack of amnesia of the FIFA officials. They chose Qatar but forgot that in the summer it is the San Lorenzo grid. Soon after, their memory returned and they changed the dates.
Whatever happens in the next five months, and no one in their right mind dares to foresee it, one thing is certain: nothing stops football. February is still far away, but there is no doubt that Real Madrid and Liverpool, the last two finalists, will face each other in the round of 16, as will Bayern and PSG in the other big match. Two teams will continue – if competition history tells us anything, Real Madrid are one of them – and the other two will loathe a system that robs them too soon of their favorite goal and a good deal of money.
For the fans, this draw brought them back to the times when Quinta del Buitre’s Real Madrid faced and eliminated Maradona’s Napoli in September 1987, or Madrid itself faced Sacchi’s AC Milan and was eliminated in mid-October 1989. . February is neither September nor October, but in the eyes of today’s football it is a premature date to say goodbye to a competition which, however, will give opportunities to continue teams that have never appeared in recent seasons, in the case of Bruges, Eintracht or the magnificent Naples current. Even Milan, which had not reached the round of 16 for eight years, can recover much of the prestige lost.
In an edition in which Barça and Juve, two of the three Mohicans who wholeheartedly defend the cause of the exclusive Superliga, fell in the first phase, which is often said to have no football interests, and in which Atlético de Madrid all European competitions have been expelled, the embers remain, however weak they may be, of a more egalitarian past and open to new expectations.
There will be no change of favorites. All the teams that pass the Real Madrid-Liverpool and Bayern-PSG qualifiers will be at the top of the bets, thanks to their history, football potential and financial resources. But at least this year a slight aroma returns to a time that is in its last breaths, a past in which the greats could fall off the cliff at the first corner or face each other without escape in the second round. The operators of these aircraft carriers will not be amused – a new format will be established next year – but the average fan is not at all bothered by strong emotions, good drama and unexpected adventures. At the moment, that’s what this edition of the Champions League has in store.
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