DUBAI: Wednesday, June 17, sees the resumption of the Premier League after a break of over three months due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis. How these four matches play out over the next few days could very well shape the rest of the season.
Recovered Arteta returns to meet mentor Pep
The match that marked the beginning of the Premier League COVID-19 lockdown will signal its restart.
On March 12, news that Mikel Arteta had tested positive for the virus shook the world of football into real action, with the Premier League’s suspension of all games arguably saving hundreds of lives. The previous day, the match between Manchester City and Arsenal had been called off.
Today, Arteta returns to Etihad Stadium where he will face his old mentor, Pep Guardiola. Under the new coach, Arsenal were starting to show signs of improvement before the enforced break, while Manchester City had lost the derby to rivals Manchester United in their last match.
A long time has passed since, however, and the expectation is that Guardiola’s men, though 25 off Liverpool in the title race and perhaps already looking to a Champions League restart, will still have enough to get three points.
Merseyside Derby edges Liverpool towards title
Arguably, no team and their fans have looked forward to “Operation Restart” more than Liverpool, who are only two wins away from ending 30 years without a league title.
A Manchester City loss at home to Arsenal on Wednesday would mean Liverpool can wrap up their first Premier League title with a win at Goodison Park on Sunday. Far more likely is that it may prove the penultimate step.
Everton have vastly improved since Carlo Ancelotti took over and, even behind closed doors, they would not want to hand their city rivals any gifts on their way to an expected championship win. The absence of Everton’s vocal fans may lead to a far less intense derby, which should favor Liverpool.
With the Premier League prize so close (wins here and against Crystal Palace next Wednesday should do it), a rested Liverpool will not be lacking in incentive and, at their best, should prove too strong for Everton.
Manchester United to make Mourinho suffer again
The lockdown, unwanted as it was, perhaps aided Tottenham more than most teams, while at the same time halting the progress of a Manchester United team that was beginning to build up some genuine momentum in their bid for a top-four finish.
Jose Mourinho will certainly want to get one over his old club after losing to them earlier this season at Old Trafford. Far more important, however, is to turn around a dismal run of form that saw Tottenham pick up only one point from their last three Premier League matches as well as get knocked out of the FA Cup at home by Norwich. A 3-0 loss to RB Leipzig in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 just before the season’s stoppage left a tired-looking team completely devoid of confidence. The rest would have done them well and allowed some of their injuries, including to Harry Kane, to ease.
Still, after being written off earlier in the season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team are now fifth in the Premier League table, four points ahead of Tottenham and only three behind Chelsea in fourth.
With Paul Pogba fit again and potentially ready to form a partnership with new signing Bruno Fernandez, a confident Manchester United could realistically end Tottenham’s challenge for a Champions League place with a win on Friday night.
Game in hand could prove a mirage for Villa
No team would have felt more aggrieved than Aston Villa had the Premier League season been suspended, with current positions confirmed final.
As things stand, Villa remain in 19th place on 25 points, but with game in hand over all their immediate rivals, a win would see Dean Smith’s side overtake three teams on 27 points and into 16th place.
Unfortunately for them, that game is against a Sheffield United team that has surpassed all expectation this season, hoping themselves to grab an unlikely Champions League spot.
The games will not get any easier for Villa, and that game in hand they so desperately have held onto during the lockdown might be taken away from them today. Chris Wilder’s team, only five points off fourth place, should claim all three points.
