Football: after Germany and Spain, the English Premier League regains the fields

The hour of recovery has struck for the most popular football championship in the world. Wednesday, June 17, after 100 days of forced rest linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Premier League resumed its rights in England. A return eagerly awaited by millions of viewers worldwide, for a frantic final of 92 matches in six weeks.

Excitement levels ▅ ▆ ▇ █ #MCIARS pic.twitter.com/6zKHXuCnHs

Neither the camera, nor the near certainty of seeing Liverpool crowned at the end of the season, 30 years after its last title, will shower the enthusiasm that accompanies the return of the Premier League.

As distressing as the vision of empty stadiums and the lack of atmosphere in a country that usually lives and breathes football is, the shock will be lessened by the fact that the Bundesliga and La Liga, which preceded the Premier League, experienced the same treatment.

And behind the Liverpool Reds, the fight for Europe or for the maintenance promises suspense, spectacle and intensity, despite the particular sanitary conditions.

Another sign of the times for this return to the field: all players will have "Black Live Matters" written on the back of their shirts instead of their names, in support of the global movement to combat racism and police violence.

As of Wednesday, the two late matches scheduled to reset the square schedule, before a final stretch of 9 days, will be much more than an appetizer.

The first Aston Villa-Sheffield United poster (7 p.m., 5 p.m. GMT) lacks a bit of glamor, but a success would allow the Villans to get out of the red zone while the Blades would climb to 5th place in the classification if success.

Already decisive for the title

A rank that could open the doors of the Champions League at the end of the season if Manchester City fails in its appeal to the Arbitral Tribunal for Sport (CAS) against its exclusion from European competitions next season.

The second game (9:15 p.m., 7:15 p.m. GMT) will be much more important, since if City loses against Arsenal, it will open the title door in Liverpool on Sunday, in the event of the Reds' victory in the derby against Everton.

As a sign of the impact that the pandemic has had on the world in general and that of football in particular, three of the four coaches competing on Wednesday were affected by the disease.

Villa manager Dean Smith's father and City coach Pep Guardiola's mother died of the disease, while Gunners coach Mikel Arteta was the first English football personality to be tested positive, on March 12, leading to the suspension of three months which we are about to leave

"In the evening I had symptoms and saw how serious it was - I had to report it. I could have put people in danger," said Arteta.

"We made the right choice and made the right decision and the authorities and the Premier League were very strong on this point. It could have been much worse," he added.

Given the health precautions taken for this recovery, the experience may be quite destabilizing for the players.

The soundtracks of supporters' songs, the cardboard silhouettes in the stands or the videos projected on giant screens will not make long illusion.

In camera and strict health protocol

The very strict protocol during and around the match - disinfecting the locker rooms, the balls, the substitutes' bench, the corner posts, prohibiting spitting and physical contact to celebrate a goal - will require time to adapt.

"When you play at home, you have this little bit of intensity and passion that comes from the public. There, it will not be the case," said City coach Pep Guardiola.

"But when they were children, the players played in the street, without spectators and they played well. That is all they will have to do," he continued.

The main fear of the technician concerns the intense rhythm of the meetings which will be linked to finish the season at the end of July, especially as the Citizens are also qualified for the quarter-finals of the English Cup.

"The problem will not be to play one game, but to play another, then another, with insufficient physical preparation," said Guardiola.

"They had 6 weeks (to train) in Germany, twice as much as us, and 5 weeks in Spain," added the Catalan.

With AFP

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