While we all watch the Champions, a little foolish, the wise man looks at the Club World CupA very rich game is being played in European football, with a parallel ranking of uncertain parameters and a final prize half-hidden, like a treasure on an island far away in time and yet very close.
In 2025, the United States will host the new FIFA safe tournament, a month or so of challenges between the best (or most famous) teams on the planet fighting to share a prize pool of 2 billion euros. The Champions League, in this case, is worth by reduction as European qualification for the World Cup, Infantino's creation.
The access score is based solely on the results obtained in the last four years in the Champions League (from the 20-21 to the 23-24 edition). Provided that UEFA formalizes the criteria, which at the moment should be the following: for each victory in the Champions League, 2 points; for each draw 1 point; qualification to the round of 4, 1 points; qualification to the quarter-finals/semi-finals/finals XNUMX point.
The doubt remains – as heavy as the classic elephant in the room – that UEFA reserves a regulatory last-ditch effort to save some big team from exclusion in extremis (for example, Barcelona is currently at great risk). The Italian case is exemplary: Serie A has two places reserved.
The first one is in fact already assigned to theInter, which has 61 points and is untouchable. In second place is the Juventus, who has 47 but is not playing in Europe this year due to disqualification and therefore cannot accumulate any more points.
On the third is the Milan, at 36 (it was at 35). In fourth place the Napoli, which with the victory over Braga rose to 31.
In short, Milan and Napoli are playing it out, with Juve forced to jinx their competitors to stay glued to the second available place. Milan has been drawn in the worst possible group: PSG, Dortmund and Newcastle.
The draw with the English has already cost them a point, earned by Napoli thanks to an own goal by Braga in the 90th minute. The construction of Napoli's hypothetical comeback is purely theoretical.
The site The Napolista he calculated for example that if Napoli were to qualify from the group with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat, they would total another 7 points, to which should be added the 4 for qualifying for the round of 42. De Laurentiis' club would rise to XNUMX points.
At 5 points from Juve and with Milan probably sucked in by the results against the very strong opponents of the group. With the round of 5 Napoli could get another XNUMX points, and that point would be enough with a draw in the quarterfinals to "win" the first real trophy of the season: access to the FIFA chest.
The Champions League is worth double this year.
Article published on 21 September 2023 - 15:37
