Premier League: Covid crisis chaos has only one solution with clubs angry at ‘strange’ process

So that was Christmas.

18 games off, treatment tables full of injured players and a Covid civil war that has pitched managers against each other and ignited debate about whether the Premier League festive fixtures are a relic from a bygone era.

That we’ve emerged from a period of unprecedented pressure on the sport with fans still in grounds feels fairly miraculous. But surely the Premier League and its main players need to reflect on the chaotic nature of the last three weeks and learn a few lessons moving forward?

Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel led the way in condemning a fixture schedule which even their most partisan opponents would have to admit stretches players and squads to breaking point.

More from Football

Spurs ready to cut their losses in Ndombele as yet another manager fails to see his value31 December, 2021Man Utd's lack of vision to Newcastle's revolution - every Premier League club's 2021 reviewed31 December, 2021Newcastle's Covid cases see Southampton game postponed as fixture chaos continues31 December, 2021

It seemed like much of their ire was aimed at the Premier League itself but the authorities were a convenient, faceless scapegoat for the complaints. The real issue is that the clubs benefit so much from a TV deal that requires fixtures to be played so frequently over Christmas.

Amazon pays the best part of £90million for its fixture package, lured partly by the captive festive audience they are playing to in the games scheduled between Christmas and New Year. Sky and BT have hoovered up Boxing Day and New Year so what gives?

If clubs, managers and players want to start eating into the lucrative Christmas schedule then they’re going to have to accept the hit on their bottom line. And last time we looked, there wasn’t much appetite for that.

This is Tuchel’s first experience of England’s unique approach to Christmas football and he seems almost disbelieving of the demands made of his players and support staff. But the substance of his complaints seem to ignore the bigger picture of just how reliant the Premier League is on broadcaster cash which has turned it into a European powerhouse.

If those complaints ring hollow, the Premier League hasn’t helped itself by shrouding the decision-making process behind postponements in a level of uncertainty that doesn’t need to be there.

The rule is clear: any team with 13 fit outfield players is obliged to play. If there are fewer than that, they can request a postponement.

But the regulation needs refinement: anecdotally I’ve heard clubs complaining that support staff should count among that number, while for some clubs players who are testing negative for Covid but forced to isolate because they are not vaccinated are included in the list of unavailable players. Towards the end of the fixture programme injuries have been a bigger issue than Covid for many clubs in asking for postponements – but since when did clubs get mitigation for injury crises?

Related Stories

'Feed the Scousers' chant that mocks poverty is not 'banter' - and football fans can do better30 December, 2021Raheem Sterling says racism in football is dealt with then 'brushed under the carpet'29 December, 2021Injuries are scuppering Chelsea's title bid but Tuchel can't expect too much sympathy30 December, 2021

Premier League clubs all have under-23 teams that compete regularly – why can players not be drafted into first team action if they’re short? Some have taken those steps – think Leeds bringing 15-year-old Archie Gray into their squad – while others have simply named fewer substitutes.

It makes the whole thing seem a mess when what should be happening is clubs forced to make public the list of available players they have so that any complaints of bias can be headed off at the pass.

Clubs point out medical confidentiality binds them when it comes to Covid but illnesses used to be made public when managers ran down the list of players out of matches. The second guessing of who has what seems much worse.

A dose of transparency would be the antidote to the festive mess – put the facts out there and let fans judge for themselves. It is not as if the Premier League hasn’t tried to do its best on occasions.

After Brentford’s game against Manchester United was called off at midnight in mid-December, the league defended a decision which left fans frustrated by pointing out that PCR tests were being analysed and a board meeting was called in the small hours to make the call as early as possible so plans could be changed.

The point here was that the league was trying to think of fans in their decision-making process. And after the farce of matches being called off a few hours before kick-off, there has been care taken to make calls earlier for the benefit of supporters. It feels like the process has been refined, just as we asked for it to be.

But looking at the league table and the accusations being levelled at clubs and managers, it’s difficult not to think the Premier League’s integrity has taken a knock as we depart the supposed season of goodwill.

from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3Jv12iy