'Sometimes nobody asks the players...' - Alisson Becker slams UEFA Champions League's new format

The new UEFA Champions League format is going to start today as Liverpool are facing AC Milan at San Siro Stadium. Alisson, the goalkeeper for Liverpool, feels that player well-being is being overlooked in the current Champions League format. The "league phase" will go until the end of January, instead of the previous group stage ending in early December.

The number of games before the knockout stage has been raised from six to eight. The team led by Arne Slot will play AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday to begin their season. Alisson maintains that elite athletes with such a busy schedule are subjected to excessive demands at the club and international levels. Alisson issued a warning about the sport's future if officials don't start paying attention to players' complaints about the schedule, even if he acknowledged that he was excited to play in the top club tournament in the world again following a season in the Europa League. 

"For us players as well, it is good that you are going to play against the best in Europe - and it is always a good idea to add some games to the calendar that is not busy... I am being ironic a little bit. "Sometimes nobody asks the players what they think about adding more games so maybe our opinion does not matter. "But everybody knows what we think about having more games. Everybody is tired of that," Alisson Becker stated as per The Standard. 

Liverpool aims to win seventh UCL title

Following an unexpected 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at home in the Premier League, Slot's Liverpool team will be hoping to bounce back soon. Liverpool started the season strong, winning three straight league games without giving up a goal, even though they lost. Slot's current goal is to lead the Reds to their Seventh European championship.

AC Milan, the seven-time Champions League winners, have struggled to gain any traction in their Serie A campaign, picking up just five points from their first four games. AC Milan haven't won UCL title in recent time.