100 days. 3 months. Bloody years! The time we’ve waited for the return of Premier League football has perhaps even felt incalculable. For something so cherished in so many of our lives to have disappeared for so long… a pat on the back for everyone is well and truly merited.
And I believe another pat on the back is required for all those who endured 180 minutes (factor in all those bloody drinks breaks too) of mind-numbing football last night without succumbing to equally mind-numbing amounts of alcohol. This is because, despite being given the time to forget, we were all reminded last night of how uninteresting our beloved sport can be.
Both games were, for want of more action and a better word, boring. Unfortunately this remained true with or without crowd noises. I’m sure we all experimented with both, and chose between what was the better of too eerie and too mimic-y.
That is not to say there was absolutely nothing exciting that happened. We got to revel in the ridiculousness of VAR and technological officiating. We awed at Manchester City’s beautiful attacking moves. We all laughed at the idiocy of David Luiz.
For all the excitement of these things, there is as much predictability. Therein lies the problem. VAR is back to dominate conversations (in the Midlands and West Yorkshire for now, expect it to spread southwards soon). City are still extremely good. David Luiz is still extremely bad. We knew this!
I’m not quite sure what I was expecting. Some sort of interesting narrative? An exciting backdrop in front of which these games – all viewable live – are to be played? Oh wait, there is.
Aston Villa are still in an awfully precarious position, despite possessing a visibly talented team. They should have lost in theory, but posed much more of an attacking threat and had three times the attempts Sheffield United had. Sheffield United are, for all intents and purposes, the biggest overachievers of the season so far. But the level of quality they have shown must be maintained. An emphatic win for Manchester City renders their ground the most likely location for Liverpool to secure the title. Arsenal looked hopeless but have played no games more than anyone else and could still earn a Champions League place. Every single player and referee participated in a momentous display of solidarity to black people. And that was just one night.
Despite what some may think, no team is yet relegated or promoted. Some teams are winning the race, but have not yet won. Some are sitting in mid-table, supposedly with nothing to gain or lose, but that could also change.
This is, I suppose, why we’re here with no crowds, awkward fist-bumps and pointless drinks breaks (did I mention that?). This season had to be completed. There is still so much to play for. If you don’t like it, tough! Roll on a summer of football.
Chris Perrin 