With the dreaded COVID-19 taking over the entire planet and being one of the largest pandemics we have seen in years, many people are left lost without the Premier League and football. While there are much bigger things going on throughout the world, all us football fans want to know is, when can we expect to see the return of our beloved game.
How the Premier League and English Football should handle COVID-19
The short answer is, we don’t know. There is no sure way to tell when exactly we will be watching our favorite teams and clubs back on our television screens. However, one of the more important questions that this whole pandemic raises is, will the season even be finished?
The Destiny of First Place
There are many speculating that the season could be called off. This leaves us to wonder if the Justice League, I mean Liverpool, will be handed the Premier League title. They were just a pair of wins away from becoming the quickest team to win the title in its history. They are 27 – 1 – 1 through 29 games and have accumulated 82 points. A majority of players, fans, and experts are urging the league to give Liverpool the title if the season as the season is cut short, there is no one in sight to catch them, and they are just two wins away from glory. However, with the Premier League title up for debate, there is also some buzz around teams meant for relegation and those destined for promotion.
The Fate of the Bottom Three
Norwich City, Aston Villa, and Bournemouth are at the bottom of the Premiership right now. However, they are not guaranteed to go down. Unlike Liverpool’s decisive lead, the bottom three still have a chance to stay up. Many people believe it would be unfair to knock them down as they would financially hurt by dropping. This is due to them not generating revenue from the remaining games of the season. If the league were to allow the three teams to stay up, it then raises the question of the top teams from the Championship and what their future holds.
How the Premier League should handle COVID-19
The answer to this is simple, as the third team to be promoted from the championship is decided by a playoff amongst third through sixth place, these teams would stay in the championship. First place Leeds and second-place West Bromwich Albion would be promoted, alongside keeping the bottom three of the premiership. This means that next season would consist of a 22 team Premier League, aside from the traditional 20. The bottom five of the 2020-2021 campaign would be demoted and after just one season of additional teams, everything would be back to normal. Alongside this, the clubs will stay happy and stable.
There Are No Easy Answers
There are many who believe that a 22 club Premiership is not the way to approach this pandemic. They believe that the season should be dubbed null. However, this would not be fair to teams at the top of their tables such as Leeds and West Brom. Both of them have worked incredibly hard throughout the season to be promoted. I do believe that this is the route that English Football and the Premier League will take. As well as the best possible option for them too.
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