Alejandro Moreno

So PSG and Barcelona, you wouldn't see that in the group stage because presumably they'd both be top seeds if they're in the top eight.

So they wouldn't be playing each other.

And then you also have to throw Chelsea in there and you also have to throw Newcastle in there.

And it's a seeding and you could come up with a different top seed and they would have a much tougher run.

And you'd be like, oh, this is kind of hard.

So look, there is no perfect system.

Would it be better if like the top 16 went through?

Sure.

But then what do you do?

with the other 20 clubs who are in there.

Imagine all the dead rubbers.

Imagine all the teams that would be eliminated if you only had 16 out of 36 going through.

So then you say, oh, well, why don't we reduce it and have fewer teams in there?

Okay, then you know the answer to that.

And it's money.

And it's having more matchups.

generating more money so the clubs are happy, so the players, which you guys both were, professional footballers, keep making that money.

I hate to be cynical about this, but this is about monetizing the competition in the best way.

And that means balancing these things out.

It means having more matches, having more big matches, and having it be exciting.