As
a result of the COVID-19 pandemic everything- including the beautiful
game we so much- love has been brought to a standstill. It seems
however that with things returning to normalcy football has not been
left out. The German Bundesliga has led the way with with clear cut
directions as to how to restart the league. No fans in the stadium
which takes out one of the most fundamental parts of football but
brings an interesting dimension to the game. Five substitutions
allowed in a game, subs on the bench wear masks and practice physical
distancing which is a step in the right direction. The Bundesliga has
been giving us a lot of action and a lot of goals in the last few
weeks but the Premier League is just a whole different mood.
The
Premier League Shareholders agreed on 28th May to restart the league
on June 17th with Arsenal vs Manchester City being the highlight of
the restart and Aston Villa vs Sheffield United also taking place.
1.Adama
Traore: Full match round action resumes on the 19th of this
month.
Personally
I want to see Adama Traore back in action if he can bully his way
through every back line (😆). I've had my eye on this guy and his
take-on numbers are simply magnificent. He first struck me as one of
those speed merchants with no end product and I may not be too far
off from the truth. His play with the ball at his feet is eye candy
for sure , his 4 goals and 7 assists this season are below my
expectations considering his take-on numbers . But you have to admit
that he's just going to get better and better with this year being
his best in the PL so far. My wishful thinking has me wanting the players to
not be in the best form so that he can run riot so fingers crossed
2.
Arsenal vs Manchester City: But for the day of the
return , we have a lovely game for us , and despite the players not
being in the best of shape for association football I have a good
feeling goals will flow.
Arsenal
as usual have been a disappointment; promising a lot but failing to
live up to the hype with the £72m "flop" Nicolas Pepe the
main culprit. How you let Serge Gnabry go and take in this man is
just beyond me. Anyways I digress.
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| Arsenal's Nicolas Pepe |
Arsenal
are -as things stand - not in the best of positions for Champions
League Football. A win for them against the Sky Blues will have them
leapfrog Spurs and probably Sheffield(unlikely ) into seventh place
and give The Gunners a shot at European football. But the Arsenal
faithful should not get their hopes up.
Manchester
City themselves have been a disappointment this season slipping up so
many times and letting Liverpool run away with the Premier League
title(props to them). Keeping up with a team that has lost just once
and drawn once must be difficult but who else could go up against
them. Leroy Sane is back in training and I look forward to see him in
action with all the rumours linking him to FC Bayern -how is he going
to handle himself if he is thrown into the mix or not?. How is Pep
going to handle the Leroy situation?
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| Leroy Sane back in trainig |
3.
What format will games assume? : Anyways back to the matter of
the restart, football as we know it will not return to normal and our
favourite league is not exempt. Chelsea Football Club are calling for
an increase in matchday squad numbers- a suggestion which is not bad
but I really don't see the need for -to twenty players . The usual
number of seven on the bench with five usable subs is OK or at least
it's working in Germany. We don't need extra numbers on the bench to
increase the chances on anything spreading .
The
Premier League has also given approval for friendlies between clubs
which would be held in training grounds and stadiums which is a great
initiative to boost the match fitness of the players and make them
ready psychologically . There are however some rules to be adhered to
during these games to ensure maximum safety of players and staff
- Clubs being forbidden from travelling for further than 90 minutes, though teams like Newcastle will be granted special dispensation if they have to travel further.
- All players must travel in their own cars, possibly in their kits.
- No official referees will be allowed, with members of coaching staff taking charge.
- Full risk-assessments of the stadium/training ground before games
It
seems the league is going to go ahead with the restart . So we are
hoping for more negative test results and great football action in
the near future. And a nice battle at the bottom of the log since the
title has been won(unless Liverpool bottle this).
4.The
relegation battle and race for European places: With
Liverpool undisputed winners of the title there is no race for the
title so we forget about that. There is some potential at the bottom
of the log to produce some suspense and tears by the end of the
campaign. With some okay teams finding themselves in this precarious
situation(Bournemouth, West Ham , Brighton ,Watford) the drama will
definitely continue to the very end.
The middle of table too is very congested with very little between teams in 4th and those down the in 11th . Man City's Champions League ban means there should be space for those down in 4th or 5th This leaves the European spots wide open and up for grabs for the likes of Sheffield United, Wolves and Burnley.
5.
Sheffield United: The Blades were probably the last team anyone would
have picked to be at seventh 29 games into the season(28 for
them). McBurnie , Mousset et al have been impressive against all odds
considering that the other promoted teams which we all expected
better from are languishing in the bottom two.
They've
done well so far and surely cannot get relegated as things stand. I'm
itching to find out if they can challenge for European competition
spots or move down the standings an finish in the bottom half of the
table. And yes it matters a whole lot playing in Europe could well be
the beginning of a new era in Sheffield's story.
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| Sheffield United |
See you all next week or hopefully later this week.
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