It is safe to say that not not all players are fans of Premier League’s decision to work towards a mid-June restart.
Clubs have now begun phase one of training ahead of a possible return to action next month but some players including Tottenham full-back Danny Rose (LockDown Tactics Podcast) and Brighton striker Glenn Murray (Sky Sports) have questioned why the league should resume when coronavirus death rates are still relatively high.
However, a PFA survey has confirmed that the overwhelming majority of the players are desperate to get back to playing football (Sky Sports).
Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino feels that the players, the staff and the authorities need to be brave and do everything they can to ensure that normalcy resumes.
The Argentine insisted that life cannot come to a standstill because of COVID-19 and that the return of football can uplift people’s mood during the pandemic.
Speaking to The Guardian, Pochettino said: “As football people, we need to give an example with our behaviour. Obviously, we feel the pain for how the pandemic has affected people – with Pep Guardiola, for example. I sent him a message after his mum passed away.
“But with all the protocols that the clubs are going to implement, football is going to be a very safe place. It’s going to help the people to look forward. We can’t stop life. And not only that, we have a responsibility to the business.
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“We need to be brave now and face the situation. Football is the happiness of the people and once there is football on TV a lot of people change their energy.
“It’s going to be a massive effort from the players and the staff but it’s similar to the effort of the people who are working – the NHS, people in the supermarket, the pharmacy, on the farms providing us with food. We need to show solidarity.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The players who do not wish to return should be allowed to sit out the rest of the season under the circumstances. However, with the overwhelming majority now ready to get back to the pitch, I believe the Premier League and the government have made the right call in working towards resuming the league next month.
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