It will be the strangest party in football.
The new strain of the coronavirus and the high number of infections have raised the alert in the United Kingdom and the Premier must celebrate its Boxing Day without public.
Only Liverpool, which this Sunday host West Brom, will be able to put 2,000 fans at Anfield.
With the new restrictions that the British Government approved this week, the 'reds' and their neighbors of Everton are the only teams in the English league that can welcome spectators.
The Premier began to reopen the stadiums this month, but the public (never more than 2,000 people, and only in some) has only lasted four days.
The UK is going through the worst moment of the second wave.
The numbers of hospitalizations and deaths (574 on Thursday) had not been seen since spring, and the new strain is considered to be the main reason that the cases rose 57% in the last week.
In this scenario, the
Boris Johnson government
has had to tighten the measures.
Saturday announced the creation of a phase 4, one step further restrictive where this weekend will be 52.3% of the population, according to
The Sun
.
Taken to the Premier, the measure affects all fields in London and southern England.
37% will be in phase 3, including Manchester, which has yet to see the spectators back at Old Trafford and the Etihad.
Southampton and Brighton, who did have an audience on the last day, have fallen back.
In short, the only stadiums that still allow the public are the two in Liverpool, Anfield and Goodison Park.
Arsenal critical situation
The Premier has split the day of Boxing Day and this December 26, the original date, none of the six games will have an audience.
Neither were the two highlights, Leicester-Manchester United, second against third, nor the derby between Arsenal and Chelsea.
In a Premier where only two points separate the first five pursuers of Liverpool, each day offers a duel with spice from above.
This Saturday is that Leicester - Manchester United, which opens its mouth at aperitif time.
The 'foxes' have overcome the losses and a bad start at home to stay second;
the 'red devils', despite the many doubts in defense, arrive in an ascending line with six victories in seven days, the last, a 6-2 against
Marcelo Bielsa's
Leeds
.
If a year ago Boxing Day was the premiere of
Mikel Arteta
on the bench, this year brings an aroma of judgment: the 'Gunners' have only won one game in the last 10 days, they sign their worst start in half a century and on Tuesday they fell thrashed against Manchester City (1-4) in the League Cup.
The team is sixth in possession, but 15th in shots and 19th in disputes for the ball, data from a passive team in excess.
The Gipuzkoan, who hopes to recover
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
, walks a tightrope.
'Big Sam', at Anfield
Precisely the City hoped that tonight would be their first game with the public, but the worsening of the pandemic has forced them to postpone the plans.
And it touches closely, because this Friday the club announced that
Gabriel Jesús
and
Kyle Walker
have tested positive.
The regulation of the Premier requires that the positives keep 10 days of quarantine, so they could miss at least the next two games.
We will therefore have to wait until Sunday to see the public on this strange Boxing Day that the pandemic has left.
Liverpool, leaders with a four-point advantage, host West Brom, who have just done something recurring for any Premier team fearing relegation:
sign Sam Allardyce
.
Anfield will be the only stadium where even a glimmer of what was always the great English football festival can be seen.
Just 2,000 people and they will have to see a team of 'Big Sam'.
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