Champions League Draw Reaction 🚨 Which club has the best path? | ESPN FC

Champions League Draw Reaction hello and welcome into the latest edition of ESPN FC Ali Moreno Stevie nickel and K Murray here in the studio and the quarterfinal draw has been made for the Champions League we now know who will be facing who atleti taking on Bia dortman PSG against Barcelona Arsenal taking on Bayern Munich and a round the draw of the round Real Madrid taking on Manchester City in terms of the bracket for the semi-finals it's athletic brua Dortmund PSG and Barca on one side and Arsenal Bayern Real Madrid and City on the other let's welcome in some more guests to the panel shall we we've got Frank lauff and also Julian luron as well but I want to start with you Ali on your initial starts to the draw well it's heavy on one side and obviously that matchup of Real Madrid Manchester city is going to grab all the attention and all the headlines but I think under reported and underrated is the fact that Bayern Munich and Arsenal are on that side as well so you're essentially getting potentially three or four out of the best teams three of them are going to be out before they get to the final and and look it's um it's a lock of the draw I suppose it's it's the way that the structure of this system is is put together and we should all accept it to to some degree but on the other side of that is teams like Barcelona Who season looked to be spiraling out of control now have a real opportunity to get to a Champions League final a team like PSG that has had so many difficulties in consistencies doesn't really look like a team they have a chance of getting to the Champions League final Atletico Madrid who we didn't think you know what I don't know they're having a down year in La Liga I don't know against CER are they good enough they have a chance of getting into a Champions League final I'm not going to talk about DM because I don't think that they have a chance to getting on a Champions League final but regardless there's a pathway There's an opportunity so what you have is one very heavy side and one Lighter Side and it's very clear to see what stood out to you Stevie that the conspir conspiracy theorists as usual are talking nonsense you know the fact that Atletico Madrid are playing Bia Dortmund tells you that there's no such thing as hot balls in the balll right that's that's what this draw tells me listen there's three fantastic ties and there's another tie where both teams are absolutely delighted at what they've got and that's what happens when you get a draw and you get a a truthful draw uh Is this the last draw of this kind J I actually want to come to you on this one because I want to talk about this that Ali had said there being a seemingly easier side of the bracket and a heavier side of the bracket and get your thoughts on this and ask you if you think this is why the format will be changing as of next year I I don't think it's one of the reasons but it's true that this was the last draw of this kind that we will have now because next season is The Swiss model as we know and then we'll have seeds for the last 16 onwards so there won't be a draw with the the hot balls or the cold balls like like Stevie just said so this this is this was the last time last season we saw something very similar one side of the draw was Heavy the other side the The Inter Milan side was not as heavy it's just I don't know it's just something sometimes happens like that if you're a PSG fan or Barcelona fan or the teams in the easiest easiest side if you want you're delighted if you w of the top side and you think that Bayern Real Madrid and and and city um are in the same side with Arsenal probably four of the five favorites well four of the top teams really uh for the bookmakers it's a it's a shame because we will lose like Ali just said three of them very early on two in the quarterfinals and then obviously after that in the semi so it's that's the way that's the draw I think city did the hard way last season let's see if they can do it again Frank yeah well you know what I like that I like that the fact that sometimes you know the draw makes the um some teams becoming the favorites and because they are lucky I hear sometimes also referee sorry coaches or players saying oh you know in order to win that F that that tournament we have to to to win against everybody no you don't have to some other team we do that for you so it's part of the luck it's part of the bracket it's part of the draw and I and I like that fact that luck is part of the game and uh and you have to have some uh some good time and and luck in order to to win that tournament and that's what it is and um I I I I I think it's not a good thing to change that because it's part of the what we have seen uh for for decades and U it is has helped many many clubs and I think it's part of our football uh when you touch the bar uh you unlucky when it goes in you are lucky and it's the same for the draw so I enjoy what that I enjoy see watching finals before the final and because we have eight let's say we can have like four very good team in the semi-final I'm happy with that one thing that I don't quite understand though is you have a draw ahead of the round of 16 you have a draw ahead of the quarterfinals why don't you have a draw ahead of the semi-finals what why are we having to predetermine the bracket ahead of the the semi-finals in fact why do we have to predetermine a bracket ahead of the quarterfinals we haven't even played the quarterfinals and we're already sort of figuring out and telling ourselves what the bracket are going to be and what their story lines are going to be why don't you let the quarterfinals play out and then you have the draw for the semi-finals and we don't have to have this conversation I don't quite understand it's and it's inconsistent for the rest of the competition as I just said you have a draw for round of 16 draw for the quarterfinals why don't you have a draw at the semi-finals and you know what we're going to do we're going to lose the Mystique of the draw M you start getting seeds now it's all it's all planned out and oh by the way would there be any chance of this seed thing coming in so that they can get all the supposed top teams at the the end to try and make more money at it cuz there's got to be something to do with that along the line well be honest The Cinderella story wouldn't you rather see all the top teams no well not not I don't want that I don't want that at the expense of getting rid of the Cinderella story that's what we're doing right we're getting rid of the Cinderella story the Mystique of the draw is part of the whole competition it's part of football it has been forever and we're we're slowly getting rid of all the things that we loved about the game I mean how many how many times I don't know about you but I've been Sat by the TV or Sat by the radio waiting to figure out who's Liverpool getting who's City getting who's Real Madrid getting waiting for the draw it's part of the mistake of the game but again we're going to get rid of it it's Madness and well I agree with you Stevie I the only thing that I took out of what you just said is picturing you on the radio listening well on the bus we used to sit on the bus at the fa car we would be going we'd be coming back from training at 12:00 they used to have it at 12:00 and we would be driving back with the first team the reserves everybody the coaches the whole thing and we'd listen to the draw on the radio the whole bus to see who we got it was fantastic but of course too much fun let's get rid of it The look of the draw but obviously with this setup as well Jules the way it is and we're talking about the look of the draw this is is supposed to determine who the best team the best club team is in the world pretty much the Champions League you know it's the elite of the elite but could it end up being that the look of the draw means the team that wins wouldn't be seen that way you mean in the new format no just even in this format like let's say Athletico all the way because it was an easier side for them that we may not have expected to see them there and then they went on to win it are we determining them as the best team the like the cream the creme de creme because of the way the look of the draw went for them yeah but you can only we said it all the time you can only beit what's in front of you Frank said it sometimes as the pathway is very difficult and you have to beat I remember when when when R Madrid beat the champions of every every big European League to go all the way great then definitely you've beaten everybody all the champions from France from Italy from England from great you've done it fantastic there are other times where it's not your fault if you end up in the good side of the draw it's not it was not England's fault at the 2018 World Cup if if by finishing where they did in the group stage then they they had an easier pass to the final for example or semi-final in that case compared to others maybe it just happened that way so there's not much I don't think he devalues really winning the Champions League they you know there were times where when stev played the Champions League you didn't have as many games as you had now it was a very different format next year we'll have a different former would that mean more if you if you win it when there's more teams in a Swiss former like a league former maybe maybe not I'm not so sure I think that if you're PSG and you be Barcelona and then Atletico and then maybe City or Real Madrid in the final of Bayern you will still feel like you're were the European Champions if you're City or Real Madrid and you've done it the hardware again same as well so I'm I'm not really sure if it Dev values anything it's just happened that this is the draw next season the way when you finish in that Swiss model table we decide where you are and who you play against this is just a different way Frank and and on top of that okay uh what what is very interesting is also it can interfere as well in that old format he can interfere as well with the with their Championship their own Championship you know if you play youf City against Real Madrid what kind of uh caes uh it's going to get they're going to get from that you know in the Premier League for City or Real Madrid for for La Liga it's that that's very interesting and it's what I like about it otherwise you can plan everything and U yeah as you say the cream of the cream you almost said the cream of the cream of the creme uh uh will predict everything in their and and plan everything during the season so we're going to rest the players because we know we're going to play that team and that team and that team before getting to to the top of the top I don't like that I mean sometimes you have to live your life with surprises and it's what we like and with Stevie in that matter uh we are as players we are waiting for the draw and as a top team and I play for one top team Chelsea we were happy if we could avoid Barcelona at the time and uh if we had to play at them we say we were exciting at the same time so it's part of that we love that we have cups uh Champions League it's it's very exciting if we kill that we'll kill a little bit of the football [Music]