On The BallLiverpool’s Premier League party can wait but players desperate to complete the final act
- Government plan to lift spirits might see top flight back behind closed doors as Klopp’s side desperate to get two wins
- Fan hubris back in January had them called ‘the unbearables’ but now supporters just want the 30-year wait ended
Just a month ago, Merseyside was planning the party of a lifetime, to start when Liverpool finally secured the Premier League trophy. The brilliance of Jurgen Klopp’s team meant that success was within touching distance. The 30-year title drought was almost over. The time for celebration was near.
Covid-19 did what Manchester City and the rest of England’s top flight could not: slowed Liverpool down. Football has been necessarily placed on hold. There are much bigger issues to deal with.
The game will be back and perhaps sooner than many people believe. With the UK in a state of lockdown, the government has come to believe that the return of the Premier League would be a welcome diversion to people in isolation. That means the season could be completed behind closed doors.
When the game’s authorities suspended competition earlier this month, the prevailing feeling was that playing in front of crowds was vital. That conviction started to fade as the enormity of the situation began to unfold. No one wants to see games played in empty stadiums but increasingly there is a feeling that it is the least worst option.
Part of it is simple economics. The Premier League’s broadcasting partners are leaking money – Sky is said to be losing in excess of £4 million per day. Customers are cancelling their sports packages. The sooner live action is back on the small screen, the sooner the television companies begin to reverse those losses. If the Premier League cannot finish the campaign, they could be liable to pay back more than £760 million to the broadcasters.