Supporters give international performances by German clubs a mixed review

However: RB Leipzig are the disappointment of this Champions League season

Cologne. Not only the league season, but also the European Cup season is drawing to a close. The finalists of the three European competitions are eagerly awaited. This year, no German team has managed to reach the last four in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League. Nevertheless, the semi-final first-round matches offered plenty of excitement and great entertainment. The European cup competition has, however, generated lively discussion, particularly due to a new regulation. The familiar group stage has been replaced by a league stage and the number of participants has been increased from 32 to 36 teams. At the same time, new highs were set in the Champions League, as the teams scored 64 goals, making it the second-highest scoring matchday in the history of the top flight. All in all, this sounds like an exciting and entertaining season in the UEFA competitions. But what do football fans think about the past European Cup season? How do they rate the new league mode and the performance of the German representatives? And what do they think of the remaining teams this season? To find out, FanQ asked the fans for their opinion.

Zunächst einmal scheint der neue Ligamodus in den europäischen Wettbewerben von einem Großteil der Fußballbegeisterten gut angenommen worden zu sein. So vergeben 58,9 % der Teilnehmenden in der entsprechenden Umfrage drei (20,6 %), vier (21,4 %) oder sogar fünf von fünf möglichen Sternen (16,9 %). Gleichwohl fällt zugleich auf, dass der neue Vorrundenmodus bei einem Teil der Fans auf eher wenig Zuspruch trifft: Es gaben insgesamt 34,3 % eine niedrige Bewertung von zwei (12,9 %) oder sogar das Minimalrating von einem Stern (21,4 %) ab. Ein divergierendes Meinungsbild innerhalb der Fanszene zeigt sich ebenfalls anhand des Interesses an den europäischen Wettbewerben. Zwar votieren 53,2 % für ein gleichgebliebenes Interesse an den Spielen durch den neuen Modus, doch vertreten auch 28,4 % der Befragten die Meinung, dass ihr Interesse gesunken sei. Bei 18,4 % der Fußballfans hat es hingegen zugenommen.

In contrast, respondents feel that the new format has made UEFA competitions more exciting. Overall, 52.4 %of those surveyed stated that the league system had made the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League somewhat (34.9 %) or much more exciting (17.5 %). This group comprises more than twice as many votes as the opposing side, which perceives the European club competition season as somewhat (10.0 %) or much more boring (16.6 % ) respectively.

A major disagreement regarding the new format prevails concerning top-tier matches on the European stage. Nearly half of the fans (45.4 %) agree with the statement that highlight matches would lose their appeal in the long run, to some extent (25.6 %) or even fully (19.8 %). In contrast, 31.4 %of supporters disagree with this claim, to some extent (20.7 %) or entirely (10.7 %).

From a sporting perspective, respondents rated the performance of German clubs as average. Over half of the survey participants (51.3 %) gave the performance of German clubs on the international stage a grade of 3. There is even a tendency to rate their performances even worse, as 27.4 %gave grades of 4. In addition, there were isolated votes for grades 5 (4.9 %) and 6 (1.1 %). The grading picture is completed by the remaining 15.2 %of the votes, which are distributed across grades 1 (3.0 %) and 2 (12.2 %), resulting in an average grade of 3.2.

One team that its supporters are particularly disappointed with is RB Leipzig. The fanbase voted Leipzig into first place for the biggest disappointments of this Champions League season with 56.1 % of the votes. Immediately behind them, with 29.9 %, is Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, which were eliminated by Real Madrid in the play-offs. Overall, the Red Bulls' European performance was rated with an average ranking of 1.7 out of 5 possible stars. The Saxons had already failed to qualify for the knockout stages in league mode, after only managing a single victory in eight games.

Overall, the rather average performances of the German Champions League participants are also reflected in the FanQ survey. Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich still receive an average of 3.1 and 3.0 stars respectively, with Bayer Leverkusen also close behind with 2.9 out of five possible stars.

Regarding the performances of the Europa League representatives, the average scores continue to diverge. Football fans rate Eintracht Frankfurt's performances with an average of a respectable 3.4 out of five stars, while TSG Hoffenheim achieved only a score of 2.0 in the same survey. In their eight group stage matches, the Sinsheim team could only secure two victories, ultimately missing out on qualification for the knockout rounds. In the Conference League, 1. FC Heidenheim's journey ended in the play-offs after a very narrow defeat in extra time to FC Copenhagen. Fans honoured the brave performances of the underdog with a rating of at least 2.9 out of five stars.

The European Cup season has also had a few surprises in store. In the vote for the surprise team of the Champions League season so far, two English teams are right at the top. First place goes to Aston Villa with 35.2 % of all votes cast, who made it to the quarter-finals thanks to a sensational run before being beaten by Paris Saint-Germain. They were immediately followed by Arsenal FC, who received 26.6 % of the votes. The supporters' support even goes so far that 17.7 % see the Gunners as future Champions League winners. FC Barcelona, who kept their chances of reaching the final in Munich alive after a 3-3 first leg draw against Inter Milan, received by far the most support in this matter. 65.5 % of football fans expect the Catalans to triumph. The semi-final opponents from the fashionable city are only considered outsiders, with 8.8 % of respondents voting in favour of the Nerazzurri. The same applies to French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

In the Europa League, fans see Athletic Bilbao (40.2 %) as the biggest favourite, followed by England's Manchester United (26.1 %) and Tottenham Hotspur (23.9 %), as well as Norwegian representatives FK Bodø/Glimt (9.8 %). An even clearer consensus emerges when asking about the upcoming winner of the Conference League. Here, FC Chelsea is clearly in the lead with 60.7 %of the votes. They are followed at a considerable distance by Betis Sevilla (21.6 %) and AC Fiorentina (15.7 %). The clear outsider is the surprise team Djurgårdens IF Fotbollsförening from Sweden with 2.2 %of the votes.

In conclusion, the changes to the European cup competitions have certainly sparked debate. Regardless, likeable surprises, exciting encounters, and tremendous performances have thrilled football fans. The fact that there is still considerable room for improvement in the performance of German clubs is also reflected in the results of the extensive FanQ survey. The European competitions have not, at first glance, changed significantly from the round of 16 onwards, so the question of how the new league format will affect European football in the long term cannot (yet) be definitively answered. The supporters' responses in this survey, in any case, offer a fascinating insight into their perception of this debut season.

FanQ is the "voice of the fans". It is the only football platform where the opinion of the fans takes centre stage. The experienced FanQ editorial team provides daily surveys via the web and app. Fans can vote on their favourite clubs and all relevant football topics. FanQ is interactive. Fans can exchange opinions, interact socially and ask their own questions. This results in a representative picture of the mood. FanQ also creates long-term studies to research complex topics. Registration for the web community and use of the app are free of charge. FanQ is based in Cologne.

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Kilian Weber/Joachim Lammert 
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