When it comes to March, it is usually a month which is considered the ‘business end’ of the Soccer season and it is from this point forward, that the major prizes such as promotion and relegation are awarded.
Of course, it’s not just the ability to move up or down the league ladder which is on the line, but also the battle to be crowned champions and with Liverpool being the dominant force in the English Premier League, they were counting down the days before they could officially celebrate.
With Jurgen Klopp’s men being an incredible twenty-five points clear of their nearest rivals, there can be absolutely no argument that the 2019 Champions League winners have been head and shoulders above their domestic counterparts and would be worthy league champions.
However, there is one plot twist that they and the rest of Europe’s Soccer fraternity could not have envisaged and that is the Coronavirus pandemic which is currently sweeping all over the globe at an alarming rate.
Thanks to coronavirus, sports has seen a near lockdown around the world and as much as sport plays a big part in people’s day to day lives, competitions such as the English Premier League or Spain’s La Liga cannot be considered immune from any emergency legislation.
Legislation which has seen the halting of all major European Soccer leagues for the foreseeable future and although no-one will take umbrage with such a necessary decision, it will leave something of a bitter pill to swallow for Liverpool fans.
That’s because after witnessing their beloved team go on such an incredible unbeaten run, they were weeks if not days from lifting a first English league championship since 1990 and subsequently ending such an unwanted trophy drought.
Although because of this dramatic twist in the tale, there is very much a sense of ‘what now’ and with no date for resumption currently available, it leaves a big question mark over Liverpool’s pending status as Premier League champions.
Due to the margin that they currently have over Manchester City, no sane individual could argue against anyone else bar the Merseyside outfit going on to edge over the finishing line and claim what is rightfully theirs.
Liverpool’s nearest rivals will point to the fact that albeit an incredibly small chance, there is still a form of mathematical hope for defending champions Manchester City to snatch the prize for themselves, albeit it would need the most incredible turn of results for this to happen.
Because of the element of uncertainty, there is most definitely an appetite for the season to be brought to a conclusion and make sure that all the major sub-plots, including both European qualification and relegation, are wrapped up accordingly.
With that said, time is of the essence and time seems to also be a commodity that is running out, especially when you consider that the English Soccer governing bodies have decreed that no fixtures will be played before April 30th.
What this means is that there is every chance that there will be an overrun in terms of completion and although it would at least mean a suitable completion, it could have a rather large knock-on effect for the 2020/21 campaign.
Should that be the case, then there is the potential issue that any delayed season will have to fit in and around the now-rescheduled European Championships and that means domestic cup competitions may have to be scrapped for one year only.
Ultimately there are going to have to be concessions from all parties and if that means trimming the Soccer calendar around the edges, then it will be a small price to pay in order to restore some normality to this sporting environment.
The appetite for live Soccer is only going to increase over these next few weeks and months and although it is tough to go without the beautiful game, there’s no doubt that you cannot put a price on the safety of all involved.
With that in mind, European leagues will just have to take all advice from respective lawmakers and when finally given the green light to resume duties, hopefully, we can once again find pleasure in a pastime that provides so much joy for so many people.
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