Following the disruption Covid brought to the schedule, the new campaign is facing another challenge – a winter World Cup
enters its third season of cut-and-shut schedules, relegated again to an insistent voice at the edge of larger things, it is tempting to wonder exactly when this state of flux is going to end; at what point the self-proclaimed world’s most important league will ever find its way back from the dark place. Or, indeed, if things will ever quite be the same again.
The first instalment, which we might call block 1, extends from 6 August to 17 September, a run of eight Premier League games and two Champions League rounds. After that we have two quick-fire international friendlies, the last warmups before Qatar. England’s provisional World Cup squad is due to be announced on 21 October, with three league games and two in the Champions League still to play. This has never happened before, the league season skewed like this by outside pressures. How will it affect players and selections? Are you really going to give 200% over 94 minutes against Wolves away if your knee has started to click and the Qatar 2022 final squad date is three days away?The same goes for after the World Cup.
This is perhaps an unduly doom-laden, fin-de-siècle view. There is still a vast hunger for Premier League product, and a ringfenced broadcast income. Even during the in-between years the standard and the level of interest has remained remarkably high. But looking forward to what might actually happen, there are still some notes of unease.Photograph: Frank Augstein/AP
It still seems odd to suggest a Manchester United revival might make for an appealing underdog story, although Erik ten Hag’s early clarity has already been undermined by a familiar whiff of rotten, celebrified club culture. Arsenal have recruited well but remain, in the end, Arsenal. Perhaps a team with fewer World Cup players, Aston Villa or Crystal Palace or Brighton, might make a genuine play for the top four.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Premier League 2022-23 preview No 14: Manchester UnitedLast season was a disaster at Old Trafford and it seems Erik ten Hag can only improve on it, but the pressure is still on the relatively unproven Dutchman
Read more »
'We shook hands': Rugby league boss accuses Premier of making excuses in stadium backflipPeter V'landys launches into criticism of Dominic Perrottet for reneging on a deal to upgrade suburban stadiums as part of agreement to keep NRL Grand Final in Sydney.
Read more »
Premier League 2022-23 preview No 14: Manchester UnitedLast season was a disaster at Old Trafford and it seems Erik ten Hag can only improve on it, but the pressure is still on the relatively unproven Dutchman
Read more »
'We shook hands': Rugby league boss accuses Premier of making excuses in stadium backflipPeter V'landys launches into criticism of Dominic Perrottet for reneging on a deal to upgrade suburban stadiums as part of agreement to keep NRL Grand Final in Sydney.
Read more »