The spectre of a Super League has been haunting football for decades. Ever since Real Madrid drew Napoli in the first round of the European Cup in 1987, the powers that be decided that it was vital for teams representing the big television markets to be kept as safe as possible for as long as possible.
From then on, the introduction of a group stage was inevitable, with the idea being that it would guarantee more games for the champions of Germany, Spain and Italy, and also increase their chances of still being around at the business end of the competition.