According to today's Guardian Kante has returned to training with Chelsea. He is still only training alone but it is a good start.
Yep! A lot of fans are seemingly unhappy with it from the perspective that football without fans is a shadow of a sport. A sentiment that doesn't extend to a lot of overseas fan bases but is strong in England which of course has people who actually attend matches week in, week out. Empty stadium matches do not fire the passion in the same way so this very much feels like going through the motions. If we are fortunate enough to be able to win the FA Cup, it will feel quite hollow. Yes it's a trophy but it will be unlikely to live long in the memory for good reasons. This is the least excited I've ever been for football. A damp squib of a run-out and one I hope doesn't damage next season or the Euros in the haste to put matches back on agenda. I'm happy for Liverpool that they will formally clinch the title they deserve but there's no doubt this is the worst circumstance to do so. No crowd, no parade, maybe not even at Anfield even if it's a schedule home game. By the time people can gather in sufficient numbers we may even be looking at another league winner by then (which of course Liverpool will be favourites for) and that will certainly dilute any celebrations. P.S. If they can play the EPL behind closed doors then they should be able to play the WSL too. The same clubs by and large are involved and can afford it. Unless of course they don't actually value the ladies side of the game..........surely not.
Nobody likes me here any way, so pick up your stones, my minority opinion is, Right now, Mail delivery people public and private, Healthcare workers, policeman, firemen, grocery store workers, food supply train, equipment supply train, all working. Football players are some of the fittest people on earth and the least likely to get it and suffer serious or lasting consequences, and at the top couple of levels are cared for full time by top class Doctors and numerous staff so get on with it...thousands and more of affiliated but un-glamorous people who earn far less money, are dependent for their livelihood and shelter on the game as well. (if certain players have special health issues or concerns then they should be accommodated) edit: KDB has a valid point on Woman's game, think they should be allowed to get on with it also
With regards to player welfare, I'm honestly more concerned about future exhaustion/injuries than covid. The season paused in early March and is due to resume in mid-June, that's 3+ months of fixtures to make up. If this is handled aggressively then they may cut this to 2 months. This is compounded by a less than ideal 'pre-season' and without any friendlies the first EPL matches will be clunky at best and risky tackles all over the park. We also have those annoying early season international breaks which won't break up the flow here. This brings us to mid-August which is already after the 2020/21 season is scheduled to start and, again, this is an aggressive projection, it could be later. Now what does the league do? Start the new season immediately? Give the players a week or two off? Either way, no time for a break here, just a warm down at best, not a shutdown. The longer the gap, the more that is then squeezed into 20/21 with the extra burden of UCL matches and internationals. At the end of this newly shortened but full fixture season, the Euros are scheduled and likely will be a June/July tournament. So a huge number of EPL players will be playing, with minimal breaks at best, for over a year and with a more congested schedule than ever before during that period. Managers already decry the fixture list as the season wraps up, this will be an order of magnitude worse.It would be hypocritical to, say, celebrate winning the league this year and then complaining about player fatigue come next March/April (bookmark this prediction btw ) Players are not machines and yes, they are fit, but they have adjusted that fitness to a 9-10 month (plus summer tourney) period of play and on the back of a full pre-season with build up matches. Not to mention the mental fatigue that fortunately the world is starting to take note of more and more in the workplace and not just focusing on physical wellbeing. This is my main concern and one the media really have not looked at closely IMO in the rush to focus on a restart.
Hmm. Play the games, get it over with. Fulfill the money part of it. It will be a season remembered for more than who actually won. But it does have ramifications for CL spots and relegation. I'd rather have it played out with empty stadiums than do what Holland or Scotland did and send teams down without playing games.
No teams were relegated in the netherlands to my knowledge. France maybe? But yes agreed this is preferable to relegating teams after an incomplete season.
Don't know if the news has crossed the pond but the WSL was cancelled a while ago. They are just trying to work out if it is annulled or Chelsea get it on points per game. A number of games have been scheduled for neutral grounds mainly in the NW so far due to police request
Mmm this is stupid. Could have just called it a wash and had ourselves a proper start in August. So the players are going to hyperextend themselves with these games + a crunch 2020/21 season going into Euro 2021? Awesome. RIP Kante, among others.
I'm sure this was proposed by the players but $omething probably didn't $it right with the $ponsors and TV deal$.
Friend of mine who is a yoga instructor, avid rock climber, runs races, and is vegan was in the hospital for a while due to covid. Friend is fine and out of the hospital, but it took a lot out of her. She just started doing yoga again today. Footballers may be elite and looked after by the best doctors, but my friend, who is in great shape was in one of the best hospitals as well and she's finally getting over it. So for obvious reasons, I'm more cancel the season, try for next if safe.
Yeah, well, tell your friend to do LESS. Glad to hear she's ok.. plenty of reports out there that just because you recovered doesn't mean you aren't left with lingering effects. A buddy of mine has had intermittent chest pains related to COVID. Yep, I get it. Bullshit.
Chelsea's most used 11 in Premier League era: https://www.planetfootball.com/quic...of-the-premier-league-era-cech-terry-lampard/
Huge barrier cleared as UK government approves sports behind closed doors officially. https://www.bbc.com/sport/52862637 I'm not sure if the Mayor of London has any powers but he is concerned about the return. It seems he doesn't though as no indication he can prevent the return (and thus messing everything up as can't have one rule for london clubs and another for everyone else). https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/fo...erns-over-premier-league-return-a4453876.html
On the other hand, my wife's 103 year old grand-aunt tested positive and showed no symptoms and was completely fine. She's a baller.
I don't know her but heart-warming, a 107 year old lady in Northern New Mexico, who survived the Spanish Flu, caught Covid, was hospitalized, but now out and doing well. And in non-covid related but long experienced New Mexicans, a 100 plus WW2 healthy vet here just celebrated a birthday in last month and when asked the secret to a long healthy life..."every night have 2 cherries in your Manhattan:
Mason Mount had to get a 2nd job over shut down: https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/vide...626832528/640x360_MP4_5752101032626832528.mp4
Still concerns about finishing this season, but also think that next season is going to be no picnic either. When is that second wave coming? The third wave? Nice story from Rudd boy here - not covid19 related https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52904670
Chelsea Ladies crowned WSL champions on a points per game basis (they were a point behind with a game in hand). Liverpool were relegated. All options on the table are flawed but relegation without playing out the matches feels the most flawed. And that's with the chelsea team benefitting.
Totally agree. wont happen, but FIFA need to step up and all the Clubs should try to pressure FIFA to stop all the in-season International or at least 2 or 3 of the long breaks to work in a next season short pre season break and space out League matches and/or delay, push-back, reschedule all International bs matches and comps a year
Congrats to the ladies, not exactly an ideal way to win the league but they thoroughly deserve it, unbeaten I reckon the would have won it eventually anyway. Well done ladies.