There’s no question that Premier League football in empty stadiums is a hollow representation of the real thing.
Whether your soundtrack is the surreal fake crowd noise or the echoing voices of the players, it’s impossible not to be struck by the relative flatness of football without the fans.
The condensed schedule means that no team can even hope to play to their full potential this year. The players are exhausted and dropping like flies.
However, there is one positive to all of this: We have a genuine title race.
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After years of the superclub model, the Covid-19 pandemic has levelled the playing field. No longer can Liverpool and Manchester City simply dominate until they have an insurmountable lead at the top of the table.
This season, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United, Leicester, Everton, Chelsea and Southmapton have all topped the table at some point. After being written off earlier, Manchester City currently have a three point lead in first with a game in hand.
Four, maybe five teams have a genuine chance to win the title this year. Although, none of them will admit it. First place in the table has this year been something of a hot potato, with managers throwing it to one another, seemingly reticent to hold onto it.
“It shows in the first part of the season consistency has been good and performance levels have been very high,” Brendan Rodgers said three weeks ago.
“I don’t really think about the title. We’ve seen changes at the top all season.
“A few weeks ago Tottenham were up there, and then everyone was talking about Chelsea. Liverpool are amazing champions and Manchester United have been great.”
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Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer, Frank Lampard, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho have all played the same expectations management game. Even Jurgen Klopp remarked that Liverpool’s goal this year is to qualify for the champions league.
Apparently it suits everyone to be underdogs. However, not everyone can be an underdog, and we await a champion to emerge from the most difficult, and most entertaining season we’ve seen.
