Premier League managers to meet over COVID concerns

LONDON (AP):

Premier League managers will meet on Monday to discuss the worsening COVID-19 situation, which has already wiped out half the weekend games and sidelined star players.

Manchester City Pep Guardiola may join the growing list of those in isolation after he returned an inconclusive COVID-19 test that forced the cancellation of his press conference yesterday.

Half the scheduled weekend matches have already been postponed because of COVID-19 outbreaks at clubs, underscoring the worsening health emergency in Britain as the Omicron variant spreads.

Opinions were wide-ranging regarding what steps to take from here. Some managers advocate a break in play, citing fairness. Others say the games should continue.

“There are obviously a lot of concerns and a lot of unanswered questions,” Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard said. “That’s the reason why the Premier League, on Monday, have put in place an opportunity for the managers to get together and I’m hoping there will be a lot of clarity which comes off the back of that meeting.”

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said he has read the rules “and instantly forgot them because there are many of them”.

The league has already reintroduced emergency measures – more frequent testing and wearing face masks indoors among them –but said its intention was to maintain the current schedule “where safely possible”.

ASSESSING APPLICATIONS

The league said its board was assessing applications to postpone matches on a case-by-case basis and “based on existing rules and COVID-19 postponement guidance issued to all clubs”.

The latest postponements brought the total number of top-flight games called off this week to nine.

Two matches were played on Thursday with key players missing because of positive tests. Chelsea were without Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi in a 1-1 draw with Everton. Ben Chilwell, who is out injured, also tested positive.

Tuchel said daily testing showed no other positive tests on Friday.

With a depleted squad for tomorrow’s match at Wolverhampton, Tuchel may be forced to start Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante, describing it as “crazy” because Kovacic only returned to training yesterday after isolating from a coronavirus infection and Kante is just back from injury.

Liverpool are at Tottenham tomorrow and Reds manager Jurgen Klopp favours playing the match even though he’ll have trouble preparing because he has no idea which Tottenham players are available.

“We don’t think we shouldn’t play on Sunday, honestly, but I say that now,” Klopp said. “In two hours, when the players are arriving here and we have then six, seven, eight more cases – whatever – then of course we cannot play. But in a situation like we are now, we can play and we would like to play.”

On Thursday, Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-1 without Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones because of positive tests. Klopp said yesterday that all three feel “fine”.

Tottenham will be in action for the first time in two weeks. Their COVID-19 outbreak forced the postponement of two league games and the cancellation of a Europa Conference League match.

Morale has been low, manager Antonio Conte said yesterday.

“But at the same time we’re ready to play on Sunday an important game against a really good, amazing team,” he said.

Meanwhile, defending champions City face the prospect of protecting their one-point lead over Liverpool without Guardiola, who had attended Sergio Aguero’s retirement announcement in Barcelona on Wednesday. The club was awaiting the result of another COVID-19 test for Guardiola ahead of their match at Newcastle tomorrow.