COVID-19 puts Newcastle United and the soccer world on hold
Today, the FA and Premier League joined almost all other soccer entities to put their seasons on hold due to COVID-19. The action in England will be on hold until at least April 4th. With that, we’ve arrived at an awkward time that will include no Newcastle United matches.
Per the club’s statement, no players or coaches have tested positive for COVID-19 and the training ground will be shut down, leading to players doing individual exercise plans at their homes. Before we go into what all of this means for the club, let’s talk about something much more important. Please, take care of yourselves and stay up to date with the CDC’s website for updates.
In regards to the sports side of things, this situation comes at an interesting time for Newcastle. They haven’t been in great form, but back-to-back wins have things trending the right direction down the stretch.
For the purpose of this article, let’s assume the league will simply resume play on April 4th. That time off could result in Martin Dubravka missing fewer matches than he would have normally, which is a good thing. Thankfully, Newcastle is not too far away from securing their Premier League safety.
That leaves the end of this season, whenever it happens, with the simple purpose of final positioning towards the middle-bottom of the table and potentially advancing in the FA Cup. The Magpies have nine remaining Premier League matches, plus the FA Cup quarter-final vs. Manchester City. The clubs at the top and bottom of the table have much more to worry about and play with relegation, the EPL title, and European competition spots up for grabs.
There are definitely questions that need to be answered. What happens to the loanees? Will they leave before the season is completely over? Will the start of next season be pushed back? An adjustment to the transfer window? What if the season isn’t fully completed? Do contracts get extended automatically? This fluid situation is a rare and unique one that will be best navigated by experts and the people calling the shots.
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During this unexpected hiatus, we will still be providing you some quality content. We will look back at the season so far, look forward, and maybe provide some historical ranking articles that will certainly cause some debate. Again, for more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health. We hope all of you stay healthy and Howay the Lads!