Jordan reckons Brendan Rodgers' side wouldn't have reached the knockout stage last year and points to Liverpool anomaly
10:47, 13 Mar 2025
Simon Jordan
Simon Jordan reckons Celtic are one of the main beneficiaries of the new Champions League format, claiming that their displays got more "hullabaloo" than was probably merited.
Brendan Rodgers guided his team to the knockout stage of the competition for thew first time in more than 15 years, eventually going our narrowly away to Bayern Munich in the playoff round.
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However, Jordan believes the new format, which replaced the traditional eight groups of four with one big league table split into three sections and fixtures against different teams in each= match either at home or away. The Premiership champions did enough to finish in the top 24, earning them a playoff round date with Bayern.
But Jordan has pointed out some anomalies. Liverpool finished top of the pile but were paired with PSG in the last 16, who knocked out Arne Slot's team on penalties.
He compared them to Aston Villa, who snuck into the top eight before seeing off Club Brugge over two legs to confirm their place in the quarter-finals, and suggested the new structure has been very kind to some teams, including Celts.
Adam Idah nets for Celtic in Champions League clash with Aston Villa
Adam Idah nets for Celtic in Champions League clash with Aston Villa
"I think the competition configuration has been very kind to sides," Jordan told talkSport. Newcastle must look at this go 'well if we'd have been in this format, we've had had an opportunity.'
"Liverpool must be looking at it and go 'how did we finish top and get PSG but Villa finish a bit further down and get Club Brugge and progress?' So the configuration of this tournament has been quite kind.
"You still have to do your job, you still have to have won the games they did. They beat Bayern Munich at Villa Park and had some other great results.
"it's not a case of whether they look out of place or in place. Villa have a European Cup on their record from '82 and they're a great club with great size. I don't know whether they look in place our out of place. They're in the competition.
"Unai Emery is an experienced campaigner in Europe. He knows his way around. He's managed PSG and been at the elite level of football so he knows what he has to do to achieve certain things.
"If you see Aston Villa in the semi-finals or the final, there would still be an element of surprise, wouldn't there? So does that mean ultimately it seems comfortable to have them there?
"Everything is comfortable because you're there on merit. But it's not because you're mentioning it. The fact that they're there means it's a strange situation.
"But categorically, this format has benefited the British clubs. Celtic probably wouldn't have gotten through the group stage or given themselves an opportunity for a playoff, which gave them more hullabaloo than perhaps their performances really merited."
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