There has been a number of ideas put forward to get the Premier League back in action, and while Arsenal would benefit from it, it is just too risky.
Germany have all the plans in place to return next week supposedly, but prime minister Angela Merkel is yet to sign it off. The decision has been put back twice now, and a decision will now supposedly be revealed on May 6.
Teams in Germany had already returned to training, readying for a possible return date of May 9, but those involved now hope that May 16 or 23 are the more realistic targets.
The Bundesliga is the only major league that is believed to be close to resuming however, while the likes of Holland, Belgium and France have ended their campaigns early, using differing methods on dealing with winners and relegations.
England’s reaction to the Coronavirus so far has come under scrutiny, and there is much debate as to how much of a grasp the country has had on dealing with controlling the pandemic, while they would seemingly be in the earlier stages of the virus compared to countries like Spain, Italy and Germany however.
Gary Neville has suggested that we could take the whole league to somewhere ‘two or three spots that are within three or four hours of this country that are coronavirus free.’
The most reported suggestion is that the Premier League will return behind closed doors, be it at neutral venues or the current stadiums, but there are serious safety concerns, insurance issues, and doubts amongst players who do not feel safe considering a return at present.
Not only that, but football being played behind closed doors is not a smidgen on playing in front of a crowd, and wouldn’t give the full effect that a Premier League encounter should have anyway.
I’m struggling to believe that there is any fair way of moving forward. Should a team lose their PL status after a turn of fortunes behind closed doors, or lose out on promotion to the PL for the same reasons, would be sore.
As much as Arsenal would be giving up a shot at trying to challenge for the Champions League spots, I’m struggling to believe the risk matches the potential reward.
I’m losing any belief that the league could possibly return before September currently, and will be watching the situation in Germany closely, not only because I’m craving live football, but because it could be a basis for how we plan to move forward.
I personally think the points-per-game proposal seems the fairest, and that clubs should call it quits and get ready for next season.
Can the Premier League 100% guarantee the safety of players/officials and families of those individuals to return to action?
Patrick
