As much as my buddy and I miss football we have decided that for us, the Premier League should not be concluded this year and that instead, we should just get geared up for the 2020/21 season. Mark Swaim and I don’t agree on much and to be honest we have very much gone back and forth on this topic, before arriving at the conclusion that it is foolish to bow to the money men and get the league finished.
Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands have all wrapped their season up and here is exactly why we believe that the same should happen in England.
Fitness
No matter what the player shave been doing at home during this lockdown it is fair to say that they are not going to be match fit and the fact that they haven’t been training with their team mates also puts them at a great disadvantage. One may say that the playing field will be leveled here but it is not about one team having the edge, it is about the fitness, or lack thereof, of the players and the heightened risk of injury. This would be irresponsible for the Premier League to suggest that these players should get out there and play competitive football, they should start pre-season as soon as possible for the new season.
Advantage
Now where the advantage would come into play is for those teams who had certain home or certain away fixtures. We all know the difference that a home fixture can make, and if the season is played behind closed doors in neutral stadiums then those teams are going to miss out. Imagine that Arsenal played Liverpool, City and Chelsea away and they have them all to play at home, whilst United may have played all of those three at home but not away, it isn’t fair for United to gain the advantage over Arsenal by not playing those tough games, it just isn’t equal.
Fans
Whether the Premier League likes it or not those games which are being planned on being played behind closed doors will still bring many fans to the stadiums, they will end up watching games at their friend’s houses and it is greatly increasing the chance that social distancing will not be respected. The Premier League have a responsibility on their shoulders to protect everyone and finishing the season in this way would be the polar opposite of that.
Ultimately it is going to be absolutely vital that people make their voices heard and let the Premier League know that the best case scenario is to hand Liverpool the title, ignore relegation for one season, allow the first placed in the Championship to be promoted and work things out in the seasons ahead. Anything other than this would be a terrible mistake and a decision made with the pure motivation of money.
