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Français (Afrique)Bayern Munich’s Karl-Heinz Rummenigge continues to gush about new UCL format
The still fairly new UEFA Champions League group stage format, introduced in 2024, has had a very mixed reception. The group stages, initially groups of four teams that play each team twice, has been retooled to create a massive 36 team group that sees the fixture list randomly generated. This is the first major change to the competition since the second group phase was removed and replaced with the Round of 16 knockout round in 2003. Some fans accepted it immediately, others warmed up to it and others still have some real issues with it.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, however, firmly belongs in the former group. The Bayern Munich supervisory board member, who also served on the UEFA Executive Committee between 2021 and 2024, has spoken positively about the format change many times in the past and did so again in an interview with Spanish news site Diario AS:
“I remember applauding it when it was presented in 2021. The idea came from a German chess player, by the way – sadly a Dortmund fan (laughs),” Rummenigge admitted, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “The knockout rounds were always great, but the group stage had become heavy. Now it’s very entertaining. UEFA deserves credit.”
What do you think? Was the format change a good or bad thing?
BFW Analysis
On a subjective note, Rummenigge was absolutely correct in stating that the Champions League group stages were not nearly interesting enough as a whole. Whether the new format was the right solution is very much up to debate but the old format was not that good.
Otherworldly McDavid helps Oilers bolster lead in Pacific Division
Total command. Absolute control.
We could be talking about Connor McDavid’s five-point night in a 5-2 win at San Jose. Or perhaps it was an Edmonton Oilers power play that entered the game on a two-for-20 run, but scored on all three opportunities versus the Sharks.
Or we could be referencing Edmonton’s defensive play, surrendering just 14 Sharks shots on goal — including only four in the third period, when Tristan Jarry came on in relief of an injured Connor Ingram.
“Finding a way to get three on the power play should win a lot of nights,” offered McDavid, who notched his 15th career hat trick. “But everyone defended. We checked hard. They’ve got some special players over there, one in particular. So I thought we did a good job defending.”
It was a game that San Jose absolutely needed, using up one of their two games in hand while still trailing Nashville by three points for the final wild-card spot. And Edmonton played the night before in Utah, getting to their hotel rooms at around 1:30 a.m.
But it was the Oilers who were on point and detail-oriented. And it was McDavid not Macklin Celebrini (one goal) who brought the fans out of their seats in this one.
“I’ve grown to like back-to-backs a lot this year,” McDavid said. “There’s just something about them that I’ve been feeling really, really good in them. Feel on right away. And tonight, that was really the case.”
McDavid was otherworldly in this one, pulling six points clear of Nikita Kucherov in the chase for his sixth Art Ross Trophy. Ever since Leon Draisaitl went down he’s taken it upon himself to provide, and on this back-to-back he was in on seven of Edmonton’s 10 goals.
“He knows that our team needed to win, and also we’re playing a little shorthanded,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Who needs to pick us up? You know he’s going to be the guy.
“Every shift, he was really dialled in. Played extremely well. I’ve seen him play a lot of good games, and that was one of his best.”
With five points McDavid passed the great Bobby Clarke to move into 50th place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list, with 1,215 points. Next up is Jeremy Roenick (1,216), Larry Murphy (1,217) and the esteemed Jean Beliveau (1,219).
He’s also got 47 goals, and needs a goal-per-game pace in Edmonton’s final three games to reach 50 for just the second time in his NHL career.
On a night this one, what goes through Evan Bouchard’s mind?
“Just get him the puck,” chuckled Bouchard, who was excellent at both ends of the rink after an off night against Utah.
The Oilers scored 10 goals in this back-to-back — minus injured snipers Draisaitl and Zach Hyman — and collected three of four points.
They are 5-1-2 in their last eight road games and 6-1-1 in their past eight overall, with three games left to play: Saturday in Los Angeles, and at home next week against Colorado and Vancouver.
Edmonton hasn’t won their division in the regular season since the 1986-87 season, the longest current drought in the entire NHL. Now, they’ve won two Stanley Cups in the interim and been a Cup finalist three other times, but Edmonton won their third Stanley Cup in the spring of 1987 — so that’s not nothing.
Uh oh…
Much to everyone’s surprise, Jarry took the Oilers’ net for the third period, after Ingram had stopped eight of the 10 shots he faced through 40 minutes.
Jarry had played the night before in Utah, surrendering all six goals in a 6-5 overtime loss. On Wednesday he gave the Oilers the saves they needed to close this one out, stopping all four shots he faced behind an Oilers defensive front that gave up virtually nothing to the Sharks.
As for Ingram, it sounds like he tweaked something. It was not bad enough, however, for the Oilers to have requested the EBUG in San Jose. Ingram served as the backup for the third period, skating out on the ice to stretch during TV timeouts.
“With about six minutes left, the last TV timeout in the second period, he felt a little discomfort,” Knoblauch said. “He got tested out in the training room (in the intermission), and then we felt it was best for him, and obviously our team, to not push it and make something worse.”
Edmonton has a day off in L.A. Thursday. The Bakersfield Condors are at home this weekend, so if Ingram is anywhere less than 100 per cent, we’d expect Calvin Pickard to drive down from Bako for Friday’s practice and to back up Jarry on Saturday versus the Kings.
OIL SPILLS — With two assists Evan Bouchard crested the 90-point plateau for the first time in his career, with 91. Paul Coffey (four times) is the only other Oilers D-man to reach 90 points in a season. He also joins Coffey as the only defencemen in franchise history to register 70 assists in a season, something Coffey did three times … Bouchard becomes only the 13th D-man in NHL history to score 90 points in a season … With 795 career games, Darnell Nurse ties Kelly Buchberger for the eighth spot in games played in franchise history (credit to X user 50Oilers).
Los 13 nombres del MIC 2026 para apuntar y para seguir
Nick Faldo tells Jon Rahm to ‘pay up’ and end dispute with DP World Tour before looming Ryder Cup
Nick Faldo has urged Jon Rahm to “pay up” and bring an end to his dispute with the DP World Tour.
Rahm faces fines of more than £2m for playing in LIV Golf events which clash with the DP World Tour, and is not eligible for events on the European calendar or next year’s Ryder Cup in Ireland until the matter is settled.
Eight of Rahm’s fellow LIV players, including his Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton, have accepted a deal to pay outstanding fines and commit to a certain number of events on the DP World Tour. But Rahm has refused, and although he has withdrawn his appeal against the fines, there is still no agreement on his reinstatement.
Asked whether he was confident he would play at the Ryder Cup, Rahm said: “Yes. We keep talking with the DP World Tour trying to figure out a solution that works best. I didn’t think that going the legal route and going to court was good for anybody so I have faith in us and the DP World Tour (that) we’re going to find a good solution for both of us.”
Faldo believes those European players who joined LIV Golf for vast sums of money should “be very careful”.
“The real bottom line is these guys have got to show a bit of gratitude,” said the six-time major winner. “I mean, you must be very careful: if you take six months off, golf would move on, wouldn’t it? Don’t get full of your own importance. [Rahm] is an important member to the last couple of Ryder Cups. but if he’s not there, he’s not there. Don’t get too carried away. The bottom line is that if you want to be there, pay up, my goodness.”
When asked whether he was prepared to offer a compromise, Rahm said: “I think I already have. We’ve already told them many times. We keep talking to them and we keep trying to negotiate. We’re going to work it out. It’s going to work out.”
Faldo suggested it is time for Rahm to accept the DP World Tour’s demands, and dismissed the Spaniard’s claim that he should be able to “freely player where we want”.
Faldo said: “All they’ve asked for was to play a couple of [six] designated events. You signed a contract to play LIV. You can’t say, ‘Oh, I’ll just play where I want to play’ … [They earn] a boat load of money so give back, because it’ll pay forward, it’s as simple as that.”
Rahm is still hopeful of playing in the Spanish Open, Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in the autumn swing of the DP World Tour.
“As of now, the DP World Tour is doing what they need to do and following the channels they need to follow,” he said. “But I’m confident this will be sorted out before I tee it up in September.”
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Former Sixth Man of the Year does not have an issue with Redick's dynamic with Vanderbilt
Former Sixth Man of the Year does not have an issue with Redick's dynamic with Vanderbilt originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick and forward Jarred Vanderbilt had a heated confrontation caught on camera. Vanderbilt was not playing well, as he only had five minutes in the Tuesday game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After the game, Vanderbilt left the arena almost immediately. That was not a good look for the Lakers, but Redick downplayed the disagreement, saying it was not a significant problem.
Eddie Johnson does not see a problem with Redick's feud with Vanderbilt
For most people, seeing a coach argue with a player is worrying. Considering Vanderbilt is not a player in the normal rotation, that is not a good look for him, as his coach was dissatisfied with his performance.
Vanderbilt is mostly seen as a defensive player because he is a limited player on offense. Getting pulled out early in the game won't help him in the future, especially if the Lakers let him go in the future.
MORE: JJ Redick clears the air about the viral spat with Jarred Vanderbilt
Former Sixth Man of the Year Eddie Johnson is quite a vocal former analyst who often makes bold takes. However, he does not see the big issue with Redick and Vanderbilt because he feels this is a normal interaction between a coach and player.
"Coaches are normally getting on their players, that's what they're supposed to be. There has to be a balance to keep those guys whole, keep their confidence up. Not make him think 'Oh, this guy doesn't like me.' It's the balance of everything," Johnson said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
"I don't know the balance is with JJ, that's personal stuff with the players. I do think he has that personal relationship with the players, that's why he can say that."
Considering Redick is also a former NBA player, he knows what it is like to be in his players' shoes. Moving forward, Redick will likely maintain his relationship with his players, but there will be some who fall into the cracks, like Vanderbilt.
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