Return of European Football

Adam Bloszko

Adam Bloszko

4.5

The dreaded coronavirus crisis that cut our 2019/20 season short is slowly beginning to come to an end. The long-awaited football return is on the horizon and fans have never been more excited to see even the games that would usually be less anticipated than others.

Before and during the crisis

As world football was slowly beginning to be cancelled around the beginning of 2020, we missed out on the second legs of the round of 16 of European competition, plus the conclusion of domestic football leagues not only top-flight but lower divisions too.

As Atletico Madrid saw off Liverpool with a hard-fought 3-2 win in the Champions League, Rangers were in the face of elimination at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League knockouts three goals to one. Many interesting ties were never finished leaving fans wondering what could have ensued if it wasn’t for COVID-19.

A few leagues such as the Belarussian Premier League weren’t going to give up so easily- they continued their domestic competition rather than finish it on a points-per-game decision or voiding. This drove bookmakers and betting companies to focus onto those leagues, with the leagues gaining more coverage and attention from other countries.

Return of Football Man in a Mask

Football on the rise again

Fans all over the world will have the same thing in mind. Football is back. Extra preparation by teams is a big factor in this scenario as players have been contained inside their homes for a long time as has been everyone else.

The football which will be on the show after the immediate return of domestic football might not be of top quality after the long pause could have scuppered many plans a team might have had for the rest of the season.

Factors affecting teams

Leagues such as the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, will all need heavy preparation before being able to jump right back into the games. Physical, mental, tactical prep is all part and parcel of success after a big pause of football.

Sheffield United, FC Barcelona, Manchester City are just a few of the teams to have shown insight into how their players have been treating the lockdown. Extra training and the maintenance of fitness and dietary requirements are what will impact how the player will go back onto the field.

Return of Football Empty Stadium

The dates of the restart

When does the football season start again?

The Bundesliga football in Germany had been the first major league to restart the play. With precautionary measures taken by every team of having an empty stadium and the substitutes to sit apart from each other, many other leagues and teams are expected to follow suit. Bayern Munich marked the return of Der Klassiker by containing Borussia Dortmund to defeat their rivals 1-0.

Serie A have since announced a 20th June reboot date after an announcement of confirmation by Italy’s sports minister.

No announcement was made regarding if the league would continue the halted matches from where it ended. Atalanta Bergamo was due to play S.S Lazio in a game that was sure to entertain fans, whilst underdogs Bologna would tackle Juventus.

June 12th will be the return of Spanish top-flight football having seen a halt a few months ago.

The Seville derby will entertain fans as Real Betis and Sevilla will clash at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Barcelona, who are two points clear at the top, and Real Madrid are due to resume their table-topping scrap in a bid to win the league title.

And finally, the return of the Premier League. When does the UK football start?

The 17th of June will mark the competition’s much-anticipated return.

Although being played behind closed doors, fans will spectate from their homes spurring on their teams as always. The FA cup has given a rough date of the 27th/28th June to begin their quarter-final stages of the tournament.

2 ratings, average 4.5 out of 5

Review Author

Adam Bloszko

Adam Bloszko

My name's Adam, and I'm known as a 'football nerd' by most of my friends. That is one of the best things I have ever been called.