Many said it would spoil the glamour and lessen the competitiveness of the UCL, allowing relatively obscure teams from the 'weaker' European Leagues get a shot at playing in the group stages.
Having seen the remarkable run of a certain Apoel Nicosia . . . .do you think Platini this is a vindication for Platini and his policy change or this is just another flash in a pan moment!!?

They are just Dynamo Kyiv of the late 90s. Massive summer sales this year would balance out this anomaly

^^^^ I don't see it. That kiev side had extremely talented players like Sheva,Rebrov and Kaladzhe. And there were oe of the best sides in europe in the late 90s. This Apoel side is more about team ethic than anything else

chic2pimp: ^^^^ I don't see it. That kiev side had extremely talented players like Sheva,Rebrov and Kaladzhe. And there were oe of the best sides in europe in the late 90s. This Apoel side is more about team ethic than anything else

I was just gonna say the same - they don't seem to have an particular stnd-out, star performer; its all more of team effort.
Guess theirs will serve as a tonic for other 'smaller' clubs to step into the limelight and shine. . . . .I was hoping they would get Marseille or Benfica in the draws but who knows; history in the making perharps, the fairy-tale of all fairy-tales

C'mon Ailton and the Charalamwhatcamacallit are a notch better than the rest of the team. However, I agree they are based on strong work ethic but some players would leave in the summer. I seriously doubt that minnows in Europe would begin to play high tempo games and this would somehow begin to trump talent.

All elite clubs will just wake up and force talented players to be super athletes (C. Ronaldo) and it is back to business as usual.