It seems wrong somehow that football feels the need to return already when hundreds of people are still losing their lives every day.
I've missed football. A lot. United were in great form when the season was suspended and it looked like we were almost nailed on for a top 4 finish with the way we were playing.
Football every weekend is a massive part of most fans' weekly routine and not having the regularity of it has been a big factor in making the days feel like they blend into one at times. Even though it's just the Bundesliga and not our domestic league it still brings back a sense of normality. We can see who's playing tonight, live games are back on telly, people can have a bet and the season can actually carry on towards a "natural" conclusion.
It's going to be great for people's mental state to have sport back in our lives. If nothing else it'll provide a much needed morale boost in a funny old world where nothing feels quite normal at the moment. As more and more leagues and more and more sports come back online it will make things feel a bit less shit than they have done in recent months.
It looks like the majority of Premier League games are going to be televised which is ace, but it'll be a strange old watch if German football's return is anything to go by.
Empty stadiums are a given. No questions asked on that one, anyone with a brain can see that's the right decision for the rest of this season and I'd say probably even the majority of next season too.
Seeing subs sat in the front row of the stands, 2 or 3 metres apart and wearing face masks was a strange one, especially when the actual match itself is just taking place as normal with full contact allowed. But if you think about it that also makes sense, they're simply trying to limit the risk of infection as much as possible, so if you're not playing why wouldn't you wear a mask and keep your distance.
The social distancing celebrations will take some time to get used to as well, but I'm sure players will get creative with it and we'll see some entertaining stuff soon.
Liverpool will always have an asterisk next to their title win this season, and that's perfect
There's also the question of the integrity of the game. As I've said above there's absolutely no chance of playing in front of a crowd any time soon, so any home team will lose a massive part of their home advantage straight away. In every season of football, playing each other home and away means that at the very least there is fair competition in terms of location, planning, travel, comfort, preparation and - most importantly - home fans. A home atmosphere is often the difference maker in a tight contest. It's no surprise that "big" teams can often lose away to Burnley or Bournemouth.
But without that, you're not getting a fully true picture of how the season would have panned out. Important positions and European qualification and relegation can and probably will be decided by a couple of points, and the teams that lose out will no doubt be up in arms about it. The only good thing is that Liverpool will always have an asterisk next to their title win this season, and that's perfect.
The thing that doesn't sit right with me though above any sporting factors or details, is that hundreds of people are still dying every day. I'm not sure why football feels it's so important that it needs to come back as quickly as possible when people are still losing their lives to COVID-19.
hundreds of people are still dying every day. I'm not sure why football feels it's so important that it needs to come back as quick as possible
Plenty of players have voiced their opinions on this and quite rightly so. Troy Deeney being one, who feels going back to training would jeopardise the health of his young son. N'Golo Kante has publicly stated that he's prepared to miss the rest of the season due to the fact that BAME people seem to be more susceptible to this virus.
The players are being tested all the time which is great, but why should these tests be going to sportsmen and women instead of frontline key workers who are fighting to keep people alive and keep the country going. The company producing the tests for the Premier League say that it will have no negative impact on the NHS's testing ability, but if those tests went to NHS workers, obviously they'd be able to use the test instead of footballers.
It feels very entitled to me. I love football and I want things back to normal soon, but I'd rather it happened when we had a handle on this thing. Right now things are getting better but sport should be one of the last things to return if you ask me.