Yes, the new Champions League format lacks jeopardy — but it's fun New York Times (Online) Sebastian Stafford-Bloor What did Bayern Munich's 2-2 draw with Arsenal mean? The change in the Champions League's format two years ago renders that question redundant. A point is fine for both teams. They could each have absorbed a loss, too. No outcome at Allianz Arena could have changed the fact these teams will be playing knockout European football in the spring. We know this. One of the most unoriginal footballing opinions is that the lack of jeopardy at this stage of the Champions League has damaged the competition. It's true, so it's tempting to yearn for the past. During group stages of old, two giants being pitted against each other had a nervy, cold-aired quality that made them special.  Goals and mistakes seemed to mean more, the games lived longer in the memory and, yes, the conclusions were more definitive. But if nobody on Wednesday really learned much, everybody in attendance still enjoyed what they saw. If there's something to be said for the new Champions League format, it's that the security it offers can help produce more open football, with the emphasis on production rather than denial. Bayern against Arsenal was a testament to that. It was not a perfect game technically and was in fact littered with mistakes. But it produced three high-quality goals, each of which depended on invention and skill, but also the mood of the match as a whole. When Bayern's head coach, Vincent Kompany, and his staff analyse Arsenal's first goal, their mood will darken. Kompany's team is built around exerting pressure on the ball, and yet there was none on Martin Odegaard as he whistled that fabulous pass over the Bayern defence and into the stride of Eberechi Eze. Harry Kane's pass for Alphonso Davies' equaliser will be one of the competition's assists of the season. In vision and weight, it could not have been played to a higher standard — it was a masterpiece. And yet, rarely has Mikel Arteta's midfield looked as chaotic as when Kane turned into yards of space and saw Davies running at Jurrien Timber's back shoulder. U.S. readers watch here: Alphonso Davies finishes off an outstanding Harry Kane ball 🔥 Stunning football from Bayern to answer back 😤 pic.twitter.com/uRBNkj2kds — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 21, 2026 UK readers watch here: Harry Kane with an OUTRAGEOUS assist, and Alphonso Davies equalises 🥵 📺 Stream on TNT Sports & HBO Max: https://t.co/fRCRh6tXYB pic.twitter.com/6cGXrUloHW — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 21, 2026 It's rarer still for an Arsenal defender to look that helpless. The English champions are often — quite correctly — described as the best out-of-possession team in the world. Well, not in those seconds, when Timber was left alone by his team-mates against one of the quickest players in European football. What was Davies even doing in that position? Bayern signed Nathaniel Brown over the summer and he is now their first-choice left-back. Luis Diaz is the most dangerous left-winger in the Bundesliga, meaning Davies has little hope of ousting the Colombian either. Under the old format, Davies would never have been given the chance to start a game of this size. In a six-game group, there would have been no room for that kind of experiment and the Canada captain would not have shown how impactful he can be against a team of this calibre. There would not now be a sudden jolt to his Bayern career, which is in such a curious state. Then there is Viktor Gyokeres. He's a strange player, both in style and the culture war he provokes. Whatever he may be, he helped save the game for Arsenal. Declan Rice began the move that led to his 82nd-minute equaliser, but his run and superb finish still depended on a tremendous touch by Gyokeres, under heavy pressure from Jonathan Tah. U.S. readers watch here: Declan Rice gets his fist goal since March to get Arsenal back in to this game 💥 pic.twitter.com/zd9zaDBZ6T — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 21, 2026 UK readers watch here: A brilliantly worked team-goal finished off by Declan Rice, and Arsenal are level 💥 📺 Stream on TNT Sports & HBO Max: https://t.co/fRCRh6tXYB pic.twitter.com/Y25zI80A0z — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 21, 2026 Would he have had the chance to do that had the stakes been higher? The Swedish striker has played just 80 minutes combined in the Premier League since August, which seems to suggest not. And if winning and losing had really mattered, had Arsenal's qualification from the previous group stage been under any threat, then might his maligned touch have let him down again, or would Tah have stolen in ahead of him to clear the danger? Who knows. The mistake is to compare the new Champions League with the old — to remember what it was, to see it for what it is now, and to complain. There's justification in that. After all, we're here because of the need to guarantee revenues and because, ultimately, the biggest clubs do not want their futures decided by something as arbitrary as the bounce of a ball. All fair grievances. Away from the direct comparison between what was and what is, and ignoring the reality that Bayern against Arsenal on a cold October night will likely never mean as much as it did, it's still possible to have some fun — to see Arsenal pressing for a winner with 92 minutes played and a point secured, or Bayern playing out of defence with short, sharp passes from practically their own goal line without a care in the world. What did this game mean? It was just a good night's football, full of subplots that will sustain us until the next round.