Premier League fans preview the restart, part 1: Arsenal to Liverpool
Before lockdown the idea of a trip to the Etihad was like the idea of a trip to the dentist: just hoping to get through it without needing to be numbed. But maybe playing in an empty stadium after such a long shutdown will throw form out of the window? Maybe.
Is it right to restart? I’m not sure it’s moral to ask players to risk infection for themselves and their families just to give us some entertainment. And the sanitised experience is going to be strange. It’s been bizarre to see subs distanced and masked in the Bundesliga while, on the pitch, the players are puffing and panting over each other.
What I missed most … Having had to make do with press gossip about the futures of Aubameyang, Saka and co, I just can’t wait for some actual sport.
What I missed least … I’ve missed all of it: the agony and the ecstasy. The only positive has been the chance to watch the replays of our former glories and be reminded what a privilege it’s been to watch Arsenal over the past half a century. I just hope the current squad were watching too.
Has the club had a good lockdown? As a shielded resident of Highbury I’ve been waiting patiently these past three months for Mesut Özil to turn up on my doorstep with some groceries. It’s not happened yet, but the club’s support for the community has been admirable.
Predictions … Top four: 1 Liverpool; 2 Man City; 3 Leicester; 4 Chelsea. Going down: 18 Brighton; 19 Villa; 20 Norwich.
• Bernard Azulay GoonersDiary.co.uk@GoonerN5
Aston Villa
We were absolutely dead and buried before the break: confidence shot, it looked grim. However, with McGinn back and Grealish’s 122 foul-induced bruises now healed, suddenly everything seems possible. With a bit of luck we could just scrape survival. It’s a shame Covid-19 chose this year to close grounds, though: after 20 years of Villa Park being mostly quiet or moany, in the last three it has been bouncing. The absence of fans is a disadvantage to us, with six of our 10 games at home.
Is it right to restart? I suppose so, although I have always been in the “bin it off, no relegation, let Leeds and Albion come up” camp. Self-interested? Of course! Anyway, I’ve applied for a job as a ballboy for Wednesday’s game but I haven’t heard back. Ageism.
What I missed most … It has 100% proved what I always knew deep down: while football is the beautiful game, the 90 minutes itself is only one of many elements of match day, and its reintroduction behind closed doors doesn’t fill the hole on its own. I’ve missed the week-long anticipation, the train journeys talking rubbish, pubs new and old and the spine-tingling feeling of being pitchside. Football Saturdays as a whole are greater than the sum of their parts, and give the week a focus.
What I missed least … Feeling I have to watch Grealish’s body language every second, praying not to see signs he’s had enough of how rubbish we are.
Has the club had a good lockdown? Positives: plenty of good community work. Negatives: Grealish is proof that it is possible to be both the messiah and a very naughty boy at the same time.
Predictions … Top four: 1 Liverpool; 2 Man City; 3 Leicester; 4 Man United. Going down: 18 West Ham; 19 Bournemouth; 20 Norwich.
• Jonathan Pritchard
Bournemouth
Our prospects have improved a lot since March, with the return of Cook and Brooks in particular – and Liverpool have let us keep Harry Wilson for the run-in. It’s going to be tough, with four of the top six to play, but we’ll battle. We may just scrape home.
Is it right to restart? The low number of positive Covid-19 tests among players is reassuring but clearly the restart is just about money. Only a third of games are free on TV. Personally I’d have abandoned the season on safety grounds – even if it did mean automatic relegation.
What I missed most … Apart from the football, it’s meeting other fans. You have a routine when you go to games, and we’ve missed that hugely.
What I missed least … Talking about VAR. I just hope it has a quiet run-in, then something serious is done for the following season to change the system. It’s been a shambles.
Has the club had a good lockdown? Mostly. Eddie Howe was first to volunteer a pay cut; players and staff contacted fans and made donations. Jordon Ibe let the side down, though: breaching lockdown to visit a celebrity hairdresser, then boasting about it on Instagram. He’s leaving next month.
Predictions … Top four: 1. Liverpool; 2. Man City; 3. Leicester; 4. Chelsea. Going down: 18 Brighton; 19 Aston Villa; 20 Norwich.
• Peter Bell AFCBchimes.blogspot.co.uk@cherrychimes
Brighton
Anxiety is running high. We’ve got Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal and Man United at home. With a crowd we’d have got a couple of points from those. Now I’m not so sure. But, then again, it doesn’t feel like the same season so hopefully instead of falling apart and conceding stupid goals, we’ll have forgotten we haven’t won a game this year and return refreshed, ready to bang in a couple of vital early wins.
Is it right to restart? Yes and no. Yes because it’ll be a distraction from the misery of the pandemic and our unbelievably incompetent government. No because it’s all being driven by the TV money: sickening when so many people have lost so much and have years of hardship ahead. Having the Premier League awash with so much money has never felt right; if a couple of zeros can be knocked off players’ salaries and agents’ fees as a result of all this it’d feel a whole lot better.
What I missed most … The whole shebang of match day - meeting friends in the pub, the anticipation, the noise, unbridled joy/misery, plus reading, talking and thinking about football every single day of the week.
What I missed least … Listening to fans’ vitriol during games. And drinking so many pints of fizzy lager in plastic cups.
Has the club had a good lockdown? They stepped up again: a huge donation to a local charities, and Albion In The Community continued its amazing work.
Predictions … Top four: 1 Liverpool; 2 Leicester; 3 Man City; 4 Chelsea. Going down: 18 West Ham; 19 Villa; 20 Norwich.
• Steph Fincham
Burnley
We’re in a pretty comfortable position: there’s no likelihood of being dragged into a relegation battle. Dyche has the squad in good shape. It’s probably the smallest squad in the league, though, so the new substitute rule won’t work in our favour – and the quick turnaround could hit us if we get a couple of injuries.
Is it right to restart? It’ll be good to see some games, of course, albeit in a strange setting – but with the pandemic still taking so many lives in the UK it’s hard to argue with those who think it is the wrong thing to do.
What I missed most … It’s been like a close season, but this time with little connection with football friends. That’s what I’ve missed more than anything: those long away trips and the company that goes with them are a big loss. There were still some really good weekends away to look forward to.
What I missed least … Losing - but we hadn’t been doing that very often at the time of the lockdown.
Has the club had a good lockdown? We’ve had no negatives in terms of squad behaviour. We don’t have a Jack Grealish/Kyle Walker/Dominic Cummings here. The club as a whole stepped up: they’ve done well to support the most vulnerable, particularly with food deliveries.
Predictions … Top four: 1 Liverpool; 2 Man City; 3 Leicester; 4 Chelsea. Going down: 18 Brighton; 19 Bournemouth; 20 Norwich.
• Tony Scholes UpTheClarets.com@UTCdotcom
Chelsea
Feels a bit strange to restart – like a mini new season rather than completing the old one. We seem to be injury-free and we’ve got a good young squad, so I fully expect us to finish in the top four and win the FA Cup. I’m not sure I’d back us for the Champions League, though …