Empty Stadiums, Crowded Dens?

Looks like the EPL restart is real.  Two matches on Wednesday June 17, then Matchweeks 30 to 39 packed in tightly ending on July 26.  That's 92 games in 40 days.  I will probably have to set ground rules for myself so I don't try to watch too many and burn out.  Something like only watch games involving Newcastle or with Champions League or relegation implications.  Might still be too many.

All matches look to be set for regular home venues with no neutral sites.  No fans either.  Weekend fixtures are spread out over Friday to Monday with no overlap of matches; weekday fixtures will cover Tuesday to Thursday but there will be some overlap.  Still, a boatload of viewing opportunities.  Full schedule is here. Roughly it breaks down like this:

Match week 30 - 6/19-22
Match week 31 - 6/23-25
Match week 32 - 6/27-7/2
Match week 33 - 7/4
Match week 34 - 7/8
Match week 35 - 7/11
Match week 36 - 7/15
Match week 37 - 7/18
Match week 38 - 7/26

I fully expect that Match weeks 33-38 will actually be spread out around the listed date as opposed to all games on the same day.  Also, a temporary rule change will allow for 20 on the named roster and five subs allowed per match.


Now, Where Were We?

So Liverpool is the presumptive champion, needing just six points (or Man City dropping six points) to claim the title.  Man City, Leicester City and Chelsea hold the next three spots.  But as we will discuss below, Man City's participation in the Champions League is in doubt.  So that brings 5th and 6th place Man United and Wolves (and maybe even Sheffield United) into the picture.  When we last left Tottenham and Arsenal, the former did not resemble a Champions League side while the latter were on a roll but maybe started from too far back.

The southern half of the table is really crowded.  Norwich may be done but just four points separate 15-19th and two points separate 15th-18th.   In descending order that group includes Brighton, West Ham, Watford, Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

We happily note the absence of Newcastle in that list.  In 13th with 35 points, their odds of going down are pretty slim at this point.  The remaining fixtures don't offer lots of easy points but fortunately they don't need many and there are enough teams below them they should be safe.

The current table can be found here.


FA Cup Too?

I had completely forgotten that Newcastle had reached the quarterfinals after a 3-2 win over West Brom.  Their prize is a date with Man City on June 28.  The other fixtures are Norwich - Man United, Sheffield United - Arsenal, and Leicester - Chelsea.  That first one might not be too good but, well, as somebody said, two out of three ain't bad.  These matches explain why Matchweek 32 has to be spread over six days.  Semi-finals are July 18 with the final on August 1.


Champions League Too?

That is not clear at this point.  The UEFA Champions League Executive Committee meets on June 17th.  Four sides had already made it to the quarter finals when play was suspended - Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain.  Four matches remain, with Man City -Real Madrid, Juventus - Lyon, Bayern - Chelsea and Barcelona - Napoli still to go.


The Cover-up Is Always Worse Than the Crime, Part MMCXVIII

When we last spoke, Man City had been assessed a two-year Champions League ban from UEFA.  A good explanation of the case can be found here.  City's appeal was heard last week.  But they have two problems.  Besides the initial claim of violating the financial fair play regulations, City is alleged not to have cooperated with the investigation.  Oops.  As the article notes, the implications of this decision are enormous, both internally for Man City and for the other clubs chasing Champions League berths.


A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

What the Summer of 2020 will look like?
Allsport/Getty Images

As the EPL prepares to open to empty stadiums, BFS Travel Consultant Jeff K sends along this article from the NYT about a mural Arsenal used in 1992 for the final training session at old Highbury.  Certainly, this is one way to give the venues a bit more of a "lived in" look in the age of social distancing.  But read further and you find a second current events issue here. From the article:

The day before the start of the season, Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell was warming up with his friend and teammate Ian Wright. “He turned to me and asked if I noticed anything about the mural,” Wright told The New York Times last week. “I looked and looked and eventually said no. So he said, ‘There’s no black faces.’”

The artists were adamant that it was not deliberate and quickly agreed to modify the painting.  A benign enough incident on one hand but an excellent example of how what's obvious to some just doesn't register with others until it's pointed out.


MLS Too?

Yes but details are missing.  As a Union season ticket holder we got this message on Wednesday:

Today, Major League Soccer announced a plan for all 26 teams to return to play in Orlando in a tournament beginning July 8.  The tournament will consist of a total of 54 matches, including 39 in group stage and 15 in knockout rounds.   Group stage matches will count in the MLS regular season standings and the tournament winner will earn a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.  

This is tremendously exciting and our goal is still to play as many matches as possible at Subaru Park in 2020. Upon completion of the MLS is Back Tournament, MLS plans to continue its regular season with a revised schedule in home markets, followed by the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and the 25th MLS Cup. The schedule will be developed so teams face only opponents from within their own conferences. The final number of matches and the schedule for the remainder of the 2020 MLS regular season will be announced in the coming weeks. As we did beginning in May and continuing until further notice, we are suspending all further season ticket membership payments. 

Details on the format and group draws for tournament can be had here.  No fans will be attending those games.  No specifics are out yet on the regular season.  Sure sounds like it will be in empty stadiums though I haven't seen that definitively stated.  I thought I had pitched the idea here a few months ago about a cut-down schedule involving just in-conference play but apparently it didn't get past the editors and into the blog.


Check Your DVRs

Clean out old recordings, etc. as there will be 22 matches in 9 days.  Things get rolling Wednesday with Aston Villa hosting Sheffield United.  This is a critical match for both sides as we really can't take it for granted that the rest of the season will come off as planned.  For Villa, a win would take them clear of the bottom three while three points for the Blades would move them into fifth, which might be good enough for CL this year.  At 3:15 we can take in Man City versus Arsenal.  City's fate is more in the hands of UEFA appeals board but Arsenal could use the boost.  I guess the fact that the Gunners haven't lost in 2020 has little meaning when they haven't played in over three months.  Both matches are NBCSN.

The weekend contests are spread over Friday to Monday.  All on either NBC or NBCSN with the exception of Bournemouth - Crystal Palace, which will be on NBC Gold.  I'd say Friday's 3:15 match between Tottenham and Man United (NBCSN) is worth checking out; a Spurs loss would leave them seven points behind United - not insurmountable, except the way they were playing before the break, it is.

Saturday's menu isn't going to blow you away except for the fact that we haven't had anything to watch for so long.  You can watch them all live if you want but not sure I'm recommending that.  Brighton - Arsenal at 10 am (NBCSN) might be best choice although 538 is saying Watford - Leicester at 7:30 am (NBCSN) is basically a toss-up - really?  The "feature match" at 12:30 on NBC is West Ham - Wolves.

Sunday will find me taking in Newcastle - Sheffield United at 9 am at an empty St. James' Park (NBCSN); I guess the good news is at least the home crowd won't be booing.  Dennis will endure Villa hosting Chelsea at 11:15 on NBCSN.  The day concludes with a Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park at 2 pm on NBC.  The match week concludes on Monday with Man City hosting Burnley at 3 pm on NBCSN.

No rest for the weary as things continue on Tuesday with Matchweek 31.  This is also not necessarily the finest set of fixtures.  As of this writing, the TV schedule is not available.  We do note with interest the BFS Derby on 1 pm on Wednesday at St. James' Park. The reverse fixture back in November was a disaster for the Magpies. At the time, Aston Villa looked like they belonged in the Premiership while Newcastle clearly were Championship Division material.  An amazing reversal of fortunes.  Clearly the match is way more critical for the Villans.

Matches of interest to BFS readers include Spurs hosting West Ham (Tuesday 3:15) and Man United taking on Sheffield United (Wednesday 1pm).  At 538 they see comfortable wins for the home sides.  On Thursday I'm inclined to check out Southampton - Arsenal (1pm) as 538 sees this as a close one and real test as to whether the Gunners are really going to contend for a CL position.  That's followed by Chelsea - Man City; even at Stamford Bridge the Blues are underdogs but we're still hoping for a good match.

Totally curious as to how everybody experiences the matches without crowds.  My guess is that it will be incredibly weird to start but we'll get used to it.  Has to be better than Korean baseball.