The Premier League’s return has provided us with much welcome entertainment but also a series of coronavirus anti-spread measures that have never been seen before.
Project Restart has seen empty stadiums, sanitised footballs and press conferences by Zoom become part of the “new normal”.
One change has sparked more conversation that most though, with players taking mandatory drinks breaks during the game.
When are the drinks breaks?
The Premier League has mandated that a drinks break should be taken in the middle of each half of football.
The aim is to have them as close as possible to 22:30 on the clock (or 67:30 in the second half) to make sure they break up the 45 minutes of each period, but it is at the referee’s discretion and they are not supposed to stop play, rather take the break when the ball goes out of play near to the desired time.
And why have them?
One of the main concerns raised in the planning process of the Premier League’s resumption was player welfare, with a large number of games to be completed in a relatively short space of time.
Most teams are playing twice a week and in summer months when football is usually not played in England outside of major international tournaments and the weather is generally hotter.
The players also arrived into the “new season” with limited training under their belts and the number of injuries that might be suffered were a serious concern.
The water breaks are a nod to those worries as they will allow players to stay hydrated and lower the risk of soft-tissue injuries that are more likely when players are fatigued and dehydrated.
The Premier League is also taking the opportunity to disinfect potential infection hotspots such as corner flags and goalposts.
Is there a higher risk of infection during the break?
The breaks are supposed to last at longest a minute and players have been reminded of their need to maintain social distancing during the break.
Water bottles will have players’ names on them and must not be shared.
Can managers have team talks or similar?
Coaches are allowed to talk to players and have been taking the opportunity to impart some tactical insight on their charges, but it is interesting that Eddie Jones, England’s rugby union head coach, has noticed that they are perhaps not optimising their time.
“I think it’s really interesting how little eye contact the players have,” Jones told the Athletic after watching players’ behaviour during a break in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton.
“In a rugby team now, having that period, we call it a big time, so it’s an opportunity to get back into the game and get everybody back on the same page.
“‘What are we going to do for the next 10 minutes? Who is going to lead us?’ You get everyone engaged. They had the opportunity then to do that, and maybe they haven’t practised that.
“It will be interesting to see when they come out of this now which team can play with more energy and more clarity.”
More on the Premier League
- Black Lives Matter: Premier League players make powerful statement as football returns
- Why players and managers are not wearing coronavirus masks
- A warning for fans: Games could be moved to neutral venues if crowds gather
- From world-beater at Liverpool to a failure at Barça, Newcastle may be Coutinho’s only hope
- Exclusive: Heskey talks Sterling, racism and doing an internship at 42
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3i0KOQj
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