Premier League Restart: All you Need to Know
5th June brought along the news that millions of football fans all across the globe were waiting for, the restart of the Premier League. After more than two months of no football, this news was welcomed back by players and fans alike. The return of football was a sign that the world was slowing returning towards normalcy.
However the truth is, things have changed, and players and fans have to start and adapt to the “new normal” that will accompany the Premier League’s return.
The FA released a new set of rules that will accompany the matches. The first, is the playing of football behind closed doors, which is the approach that leagues such as Bundesliga and La Liga have taken. Although this experiment has succeeded, it has proven to be a dampener for players all over, as they are not able to latch on to the energy the big crowd provides during a game. Among the Big 6, it is clubs such as Liverpool which will find it the hardest, as the players depend on the Kop and the crowd at Anfield to cheer them on during home games.
Even smaller clubs like Leicester will find it hard, as they are also dependent on their fans energy in certain games. During their title winning 2015–2016 season, it was the club’s fans that caused an earthquake of 0.3 magnitude, while celebrating a last minute winner against Norwich.
Another rule, which has been welcomed by multiple clubs is the availability of 5 substitutes rather than 3, which will allow teams with depth such and Wolves and Manchester City to experiment with different tactics in the game and also make players less prone to injuries.
To maintain proper safety, each members of the teams will have to undergo a medical check, which will include a temperature check and a mandatory questionnaire to keep a track of the wellness. The players will have to use hand sanitizer while entering and leaving the pitch.
Table Review
Going by the table, it seems as though Liverpool shows no signs of stopping. With just one draw and one loss, Liverpool have been unstoppable. Fresh off a Champions League winning season, the team has come back with more energy and power and players who have outperformed themselves. They need two wins to clinch the Premier League, and if they continue the same form they might be able to beat City’s record of 100+ points from the 2017/2018 season.
Apart from Liverpool, the two teams which have been clinical this season are Leicester and Sheffield. Some of the credit has to go to Brendan Rogers and Chris Wilder respectively, for setting up teams that filled with so much passion and drive. Both the teams, if they maintain the same level of form, might be looking at European Football next season.
The race for the last position for European football has heightened up, ever since Manchester City’s ban from Champions League football next season.Going by current form, Manchester City would maintain their place in the top 4 and this would allow the 5th placed team to compete for it. The gap between 4th placed Chelsea and 10th placed Burnley is a mere 10 points while the gap between the 5th placed Manchester United and Burnley is 6 points, which promises an exciting finish for the league with all the competition between these teams.
The battle to avoid relegation, is also close, with Watford, Bournemouth and West Ham United all at 27 points and the only separation being the goal difference between these teams.
All in all, the Premier League’s return is awaited by fans and with a setup like this, it looks like it is gonna be one hell of a finish.
