Scrapping the away-goals rule was right, and Europe's big clubs still haven't adjusted for it
UEFA killed the away-goals rule for two-legged European ties back in 2021, and I still think it was the correct call, but here's the part nobody talks about: most big clubs are still coaching the first leg like the rule exists. You watch a Champions League round-of-16 first leg and the away side still sets up to contain, still treats a 0-0 on the road as a good result, still plays for a clean sheet instead of actually trying to win the tie in 90 minutes. Under the old rule that made sense. A goalless draw away from home was genuinely valuable because it meant a home 0-0 in the second leg sent you through. Now it just means you've wasted a leg. The whole logic of "protect the away goal, don't concede" doesn't apply anymore because there's no bonus for scoring away, both legs count exactly the same. A team that goes to the away leg and just tries to win the match outright, rather than survive it, should have a real structural advantage over sides still playing the old percentages. Nobody's actually doing it yet, not consistently, and I think that's a coaching failure more than a tactical choice.