It suited PSG, but was new Champions League format a success?

The Champions League run has ended with a caller victor of the trophy successful the signifier of Paris St-Germain.

This play represented the competition's biggest alteration of format since the radical signifier was introduced successful the 1991-92 season.

Since then, the contention has featured immoderate operation of groups of 4 teams, playing each different location and away, earlier a knockout signifier (or consecutive last successful 91-92 and 92-93).

This season, the expanded 36-team tourney saw each broadside play 8 antithetic teams - 4 astatine location and 4 distant - successful 1 large league phase.

It reached its climax astatine the extremity of January earlier the accepted knockout stages got nether way, but was it a success?

PSG would accidental truthful aft lifting their maiden Champions League trophy successful Munich having initially finished 15th successful the league signifier and needing to advancement via a play-off to scope the knockouts proper.

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha was complimentary of the caller format and believes it has been a success.

"I've enjoyed it," Onuoha told BBC Sport. "There were tons of bully games successful the radical signifier and tons of large moments, and not conscionable erstwhile the large teams person played each different either.

"The biggest alteration for maine was that teams lone played each different erstwhile successful the league stage. It meant no-one lived oregon died by that result, and besides the vigor from the lesser teams was precise antithetic to erstwhile teams knew they would play each different again successful a fewer weeks' time.

"Aston Villa beating Bayern Munich was a bully example. Bayern did not get a 2nd accidental against them, erstwhile they astir apt would not person slipped up again - but they were inactive capable to claw backmost the points they dropped."

Eventual champions PSG mislaid 3 of their opening 5 games, earlier a precocious resurgence saw them triumph their adjacent 3 matches to unafraid a play-off necktie with chap Ligue 1 broadside Brest.

After winning that, Luis Enrique's broadside met Liverpool, the squad who finished apical of the league phase, successful the past 16.

"While PSG are intelligibly a top-quality side, their travel shows that uncovering signifier astatine the close clip is what matters," added Onuoha. "They were retired of the apical 24 until they won their penultimate game, and past got done the play-off stage.

"That's different happening I similar astir the format, due to the fact that PSG person shown that successful the future, it doesn't substance if you don't marque the apical eight."

Journalist Nicky Bandini made a good constituent astir the caller format benefitting Luis Enrique's side.

"Without this format, we would possibly not person seen this PSG squad that has developed during the play due to the fact that they could person gone out," said Bandini. "This mode we get to spot them progress, and it feels similar a much entertaining journey."

Aside from Liverpool's aboriginal exit, the seeding strategy seemed to enactment with Barcelona (second), Arsenal (third) and Inter (fourth) each making astatine slightest the semi-finals.

For Inter, a fourth-placed decorativeness meant they were faced with a favourable necktie with Feyenoord successful the past 16 earlier taking connected Bayern Munich and Barcelona successful the past 8 and semi-finals.

Unlike erstwhile editions, wherever galore teams had already secured qualification oregon elimination earlier the last round, this year's league signifier delivered a acold much unpredictable, thrilling, and emotionally charged conclusion.

Going into the last radical games past season, 13 teams had already secured qualification for the past 16.

But this term, lone Liverpool and Barcelona were guaranteed a spot successful the past 16 - gained by finishing successful the apical 8 places successful the league.

So with 27 teams inactive having thing connected the enactment an breathtaking finale to the league signifier was anticipated.

The league signifier featured rematches of 4 of the past 5 Champions League finals with Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice saying: "Usually, you find these games successful the quarter-finals oregon semi-finals."

Manchester City were the large communicative of the league signifier with 3 points needed connected the last league signifier crippled to publication their spot successful a play-off - wherever they were beaten by Real Madrid successful a thrilling contest.

By creating a format wherever teams played 8 antithetic opponents successful a league signifier that culminated with 64 goals successful the last 18 matches, Uefa decision-makers volition possibly consciousness they person countered suggestions that the erstwhile radical signifier could beryllium repetitive astatine times, with large names ever progressing.

Uefa claimed the caller format would guarantee each lucifer has the imaginable to importantly interaction a team's last standing. "Every crippled counts" was the precise wording used.

On 1 hand, lone 2 games connected matchday 8 were existent dormant rubbers - Young Boys (36th) v Crvena zvezda (32nd) and Sturm Graz (33rd) v RB Leipzig (30th). The different teams each had thing to play for, adjacent if that meant conscionable warring for position. If that is taken successful isolation, that is simply a wide selling constituent for this latest format.

On the different hand, 9 teams had already been eliminated going into the last matchday, with Shakhtar Donetsk besides practically out, needing to bushed Borussia Dortmund and payment from an improbable five-goal plaything to qualify.

With 24 of the 36 teams either qualifying for the past 16 consecutive from the league signifier oregon into a play-off, genuine jeopardy was astatine a minimum. Manchester City made it done contempt a tally that saw them suffer 3 retired of 4 games.