The disappointment was enormous. This Wednesday, after Paris Saint-Germain’s draw against Newcastle on the last day of the Champions League league phase, Luis Enrique did not hide his annoyance at having to go through the play-offs. 11th in the standings, the Parisians will face Monaco or Qarabag during these round of 16, while the top 8 held out their arms to them just a few hours ago.
But how can this failure be explained? The Spanish coach has his idea. “It’s the schedule, the wonderful group we have,” he said. If you analyze all the matches we have played, it is catastrophic to see the level of the opponents. Newcastle is a hat 4 team…”
Without denying the difficulties of his team, the Parisian technician continued his idea, highlighting the excellent results of his opponents, who were therefore not a bird for the cat. “I think we can improve in a lot of matches but we also have to analyze the teams we played against and the majority of whom had 13 points before the last day,” he said. 7 of the 8 teams are continuing the European adventure.
The easiest schedule goes to Tottenham
With the figures to back it up, Luis Enrique is not wrong. If we calculate the results of Paris Saint-Germain’s eight opponents, we obtain an average ranking of 11.3 in the league phase. Stratospheric and unrivaled this season, Bruges being second (14). Four opponents of the Parisians, Bayern Munich, Tottenham, Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon, are among the eight direct qualifiers for the round of 16.
Now let’s compare with the other teams. First in this phase of the league, Arsenal have had a much easier journey, with their opponents boasting an average rating of 20.3. Kairat Almaty, Slavia Prague and Athletic Bilbao, whom they all faced, were also eliminated from the competition. Bayern Munich (15.6), Liverpool (20.1), Barcelona (20.5), Sporting Lisbon (20.6) and Chelsea (19.5) were also luckier.
For Tottenham and Manchester City, the last two direct qualifiers for the round of 16, the observation is even more eloquent. The average final ranking of the Citizens’ opponents is set at 21.4, while the record goes to Spurs, with 25.6. A ranking which would not even allow you to qualify for the play-offs of this Champions League.
This calculation could be little consolation for Olympique de Marseille, who can justify their cruel elimination with an equally tough program. Their opponents, on average, finished around 15th place (15.5). A ranking similar to that of AS Monaco (15.3) which escaped.
A format to review?
The cause of these significant differences is obvious: the format of the competition and the impossibility of facing a club from the same championship as you. While six English teams qualified for the league stage, they could not face each other in these eight matches. Five finally finished in the famous top 8, with Newcastle failing by just two points (12th).
With only three representatives and a lower overall level, French clubs do not benefit from this protection, and are more likely to regularly clash with these Premier League clubs. They eventually all faced two. An unequal challenge which explains the more delicate results of Ligue 1 teams, with two play-offs and one eliminated.
For its second edition in the league phase version, the new format of the Champions League still leaves us wondering. If the spectacle offered this Wednesday, with total suspense until the last moments, is positive, the inequalities raise questions. And the possibility of facing at least one opponent from the same championship could, or should, be studied.
