The Premier League is divided over the possibility of a ‘firebreak’ shutdown amid a backdrop of spiralling Covid cases and nine postponed matches in the top flight.
Five of the 10 Premier League games scheduled on Saturday and Sunday are already canceled, increasing the total number to nine top-flight matches this week.
It has led Premier League shareholders to meet on Monday to discuss a festive shutdown of football, according to reports, as its clubs struggle with several coronavirus outbreaks.
Mikel Arteta from Arsenal has called for more information on why games are delayed and asked the Premier league to give guidance about the rules in order to maintain fairness.
Eddie Howe, Newcastle manager agreed and said that a decision must be made about the future campaign to “ensure integrity” is maintained.
Jurgen Klopp from Liverpool, however, was against the plan. He said on Thursday that there is no need for a “circuit breaker” and only urged football chiefs be more “flexible” with the scheduling.
Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish opposes and also wants to play as much as possible. In his opinion, there are not enough cancellations in order to force a pause.
Mikel Arteta would like the Premier League’s clarification on why certain games have been called off
According to reports, the Premier League will consider temporarily suspending the season.
Eddie Howe, Newcastle manager says that a decision must be made about the campaign in order to maintain integrity
Arteta is the side that faces Leeds this Saturday and believes the Premier League must provide “more clarity” on rules regarding matches being called off. This will ensure integrity in the competition.
On Friday, the Spaniard stated that he hoped everyone was healthy and said: “Well, health-wise I hope so.
“I am certain that with all the things we do, we can keep everyone healthy.
We need to know why these games are not being played. What you do not need in order to keep the competition fair.
We always desire to play when there are the right circumstances to do so. But we’ve been here on the other side of the table where we’ve had all the arguments in the build up to a football match and ended up playing it. That’s why we need clarity to maintain fairness.
“I believe there are many people who know more than me to help find the best solution. It’s not something I want to give an opinion on because I’m not a specialist. The government and the Premier League will make the correct decision.
‘What I’m saying is let’s make a decision based on what is best for the competition and the health of everyone involved. After that then clear guidance on if it’s a yes or a no.’
Even though other matches were called off, Chelsea’s match against Everton was played on Thursday
Eddie Howe from Newcastle agreed to the claim that the future of the campaign must be decided to “ensure integrity”
He added, “I do not think that we should have half of our games played but half of our games not played.”
If the league is not unified in terms of playing games, it will lose something.
“When players start to lose to Covid, the concern is that the competition will become slightly unfair. I don’t believe anyone would like to see this.
A decision is needed to preserve integrity within the market. The knife edge is what I see.
“People desire a fair league, not disparity between games or players being missing.
“I want to keep the program going, but I have to make sure that the well-being of all the supporters and players comes first.”
Thomas Frank, Brentford’s Manager, announced that the club would like to declare a temporary halt
Jurgen Klopp believes there is no need for a circuit breaker stop in the wake of Liverpool’s win against Newcastle
Arteta & Howe announced their stances after Brentford manager Frank made public his desire to announce a temporary suspension on Thursday morning.
The Danish manager claimed the variant is ‘running like wildfire’ around the world and that shutting down football for at least a week would help clubs get things under control.
Frank said at Thursday’s press conference, “It would take everybody a week or more to clean up the training grounds.
“Also, in football you need to have close contact. The physios must be able to treat the players. Matchdays are spent in dressing rooms. Coaches transport us so it is a bit harder to work remotely.
According to The Times, Premier League chiefs will meet on Monday to discuss a potential shutdown, just a day after announcing their commitment to stick to the current schedule.
Manchester United’s match against Brighton at lunchtime on Saturday is just one of five scheduled matches this weekend. The top flight will be playing four matches late Thursday night.
Ralf Rangnick’s United was down to seven players at the Seagulls weekend visit. The club has closed Carrington’s training facility until Tuesday. Next up for the club is a visit to Newcastle on Dec 27.
Nine matches were called off because of outbreaks caused by Omicron, ranging from Tottenham’s clash with Brighton in December 12th to five Saturday matches that were called off Thursday.
But Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp announced after his side’s 3-1 win over Newcastle on Thursday night – which saw Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones and Fabinho miss the game due to Covid – that he sees no point of a ‘circuit breaker’ stop.
Klopp stated in his Thursday press conference that he did not believe it was right to top the league, but given the time constraints we need to be flexible. Covid is the reason we have three outfield players.
Steve Parish, Chairman of Crystal Palace (above), believes that the Premier League must continue.
“It’s possible to play the 26th or 28th of December, but you only have 13 available players. Although there are many things we want to know, I’m not able to answer them all.
Parish also urged the Premier League to go ahead as planned. He told BBC Breakfast that he has not had enough postponements so far to cause a real pause. It is our desire to get these games done as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“I’m against this (a firebreaker), but it’s a possibility right now, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens. There are rules that must be followed to ensure the Squad is filled. You have many reasons why you may not be able to fill your squad.
“We all know the current situation and we must protect our players from Covid. We’ve been in unfortunate situations and needed to play. Injuries are the same.
“It is always hard to lose when you are playing in important games. We must get as many fixtures through as possible. We will only continue if there are enough players for the teams.