The televised return of the Premier League will be a massive morale boost. It will give people something to look forward to, and bring a much-needed sense of normality to millions of people.
The Premier League have announced its plans to resume the 2019/2020 season on the 17th June, and the vast majority of the football-loving public in England is delighted with the news. Plans and full details are still to be finalised and, of course, playing is still at the mercy of government approval and on the provision that all health and safety measures be met fully.
Courtesy: Premier League
Inevitably, all remaining 92 Premier League matches will be played behind closed doors with no fans in attendance. Although this arrangement is far from ideal, it is the only way football and any professional sport can take place at present.
I have previously stated my belief that all sport, especially football, is best in front of fans live at the event. Supporters bring atmosphere to the occasion and add emotion to the game.
However, I also believe that ‘behind closed doors’ is the only solution right now. The alternative is no football or sport at all for the foreseeable future. And while there is a downside to no fans present at games, there are positives to be taken from the return of the Bundesliga in Germany.
It took a bit of time, but Germany’s action on the pitch has improved. Players’ fitness has improved, too, and they have adapted to the new scenario of having no fans in the stands. Many people thought games with no fans would lack intensity, but no one can make that argument if they watched the Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich match!
Germany is showing us that while football may be different, different can still be quite good.
The return of Premier League football is a positive step in a season that will be decided where it should be decided–on the pitch–with all teams having a fair opportunity over a full 38-game league season. I completely disagree, as has been suggested, of making any uncompleted league season null and void. Doing that removes the effort and achievement made by teams and players over 29 hard-fought games.
At the same time, if the season were to end now–and decided on current positions–there would be sympathy for any team that suffered relegation without having a full chance to survive.
Completing the season gives all teams a full opportunity to achieve. Even without being in the stadium, Liverpool fans will have a chance to see if their team can continue its incredible run, which currently stands at 27 wins in 29 matches. And by playing out a full season, Liverpool have a chance to seal their crowning moment right on the pitch. They will also have an opportunity to best several Premier League records, including beating Manchester City’s 100-point total from 2018 and going an entire league season undefeated at home.
Courtesy: Sportsgyaan
There are benefits at the opposite end of the table, too. Playing out the year gives all teams a full chance to avoid relegation. Among other things, the financial cost of relegation is enormous and it can also impact clubs for years. A recent example is the Bolton Wanderers, who are now on the brink of relegation to League 2 and facing liquidation at the start of the season. Only eight years ago the Wanderers were a Premier League team.
But being in the bottom three with nine games remaining doesn’t mean that relegation is a certainty. For example, in 2015, Leicester City looked like a relegation certainty, but then made an incredible run to survive. A year later, the team won the Premier League in one of football’s greatest fairy tales.
There’s another benefit in football’s return, and it has nothing to do with football per se. The Premier League’s resumption will give our nation a lift after going through an experience that ended many lives and caused widespread economic and social disruption.
Football is the national sport of England, loved by millions. The televised return of the Premier League will be a massive morale boost. It will give people something to look forward to, and bring a much-needed sense of normality to millions of people. So let’s get to it!
