121,371 – This is how many cases of coronavirus infections were recorded in the UK on Thursday. The UK is not coping with a new variant of the virus – the omicron – which is increasingly affecting.
Only in the last dozen or so days, 10 league matches and a match with Rennes in the European Conference League were canceled, which resulted in Antonio Conte’s team dropping out of the tournament. It is already known that on Boxing Day, the second day of Christmas, there will be no further three matches. All because of the rapidly growing number of infected players.
“We had a wall in front of us”
Until recently, it was speculated that the Premier League might be interrupted. Some clubs were definitely in favor of this variant. According to them, a time of 10 to 14 days would be enough to heal footballers and reduce the number of infections.
On Thursday there was a meeting of all Premier League clubs in this matter, but no such decision was made. What’s more, as it turned out, the league authorities decided not to suspend the league, although they had no plan for the meeting.
– To be honest, it was a meeting where some of the coaches wanted to say something and ask something, but it didn’t matter because all the decisions had been made earlier. We had a wall in front of us so I decided not to participate in the discussion – said the Tottenham coach,.
And he added: – I didn’t want to suggest anything because I felt that I would be wasting my time. I realized that we will not change anything. I preferred to spend this time working and improving the team.
The meeting was also criticized by Crystal Palace coach Patrick Vieira. – After each meeting, I try to draw the most important conclusions. After this meeting, I still do not know why it was organized at all – said the French.
“It’s crazy”
Controversy arose not only on playing matches on December 26, but also – and perhaps above all – on December 28. Especially in the current climate where clubs are being depleted by infected players. Although it is assumed that the player’s body needs 2-3 days to regenerate, the Premier League has not stopped playing every two days in a difficult time.
This idea has been strongly criticized for years, but it will be bypassed this year. Although Liverpool will play away from Leicester City on December 28, they will be off two days earlier as his match against Leeds United has been postponed due to the coronavirus. Leicester City players can talk about bad luck, because on December 26 they will play away against Manchester City.
“It is completely impossible to comprehend, and even more of a joke is that the Premier League still allows it. After all, it is very dangerous for players! I don’t understand why we can’t play on December 26 and 29. One more day would make a big difference to us. Who would it bother? Klopp thundered.
– Playing after just one day of break is extremely difficult. In this situation, we will have to make an appropriate rotation so as not to expose players to injuries. Remember that this season we are also dealing with the coronavirus and the staff is thinned. This is crazy, but we have to find a solution, Conte concluded.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
