Man Utd provide perfect example to how UEFA have missed unique Super League opportunity

A year ago, 12 clubs threatened to make the top tier of European football a closed shop.

It was a travesty, which eventually forced the majority of the clubs involved into an embarrassing climbdown amid fan protests and consternation that a meritocracy felt they were above having to qualify for European competition.

Whilst Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus remain wedded to the idea of a Super League plan - albeit with the closed-shop element scrapped - it appears that the Champions League is here to stay for the time being at least.

Yet, one year on, UEFA are not the great saviours of football that they made themselves out to be when fighting against the Super League. Instead, they have railroaded through format changes to the Champions League that no fan has asked for - also placating underperforming big clubs by giving them alternative routes into the competition via historical performance.

The new format benefits both UEFA, thanks to the fact an expanded tournament and more fixtures - four extra teams have been added and each club will now play 10 group matches - mean they can gain more broadcast revenue, and also big clubs, due to there being very little jeopardy involved in the new-look group stage.

With all 36 teams in one big group, the top eight teams will qualify directly for the round of 16, whilst clubs finishing between ninth and 24 will then face a knockout stage to decide who also progresses to the last 16. That means that just 12 teams exit the competition in the group stage, down from the current total of 18, despite four more clubs being involved.

So gone are the days of Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund exiting the tournament at the hands of less star-studded sides, as happened this year. Instead, we’re