The Premier League will resume training for all clubs soon, sending out a solid sign that games will indeed be played again starting on June 12. Still, the risk of catching COVID-19 worries league executives that canceling the competition is a serious consideration. In such a case, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp there must be a season champion.
The Reds are top of the league table, which Klopp pointed out is true in home and away games, and enjoy a 25-point lead over No. 2 Manchester City. If the season is restarted and Klopp's side win their first two games, Liverpool will clinch the crown.
Yet the thought of season cancelation haunts the Merseyside club, whose dream of capturing a domestic title after 30 years could be dashed by the Premier League ending the campaign with no title winner. Some club owners have floated the idea of declaring the season null and void if the situation worsens.
The German said doing that is unfair for the clubs that have played more than 70% of the scheduled games. And more so in the case of Liverpool as the title is just two wins away.
"That would have been something that I personally would find unfair, to just say that it didn't happen ... We have played 76 percent of the season and you just want to delete the thing?" Goal reported Klopp as saying.
The Reds manager is optimistic that league officials can make an arrangement that will allow players to train safely and do the same when the actual games are resumed. He pointed to the case in Bundesliga, where the matches started playing again over the weekend.
"As they were made in Germany, they are now being taken in England. The training centers of the English professional clubs will be the safest," Klopp said.
Meanwhile, league officials have informed Anfield that if the club is declared the winner after winning two games in the resumed season, there will be a presentation of the trophy. The assurance was given amid the safety concerns over social distancing, according to Mirror.
"We would like to have a trophy presentation to give the players and staff the moment they have worked so hard for. We would try and do it unless it wasn't possible because of safety concerns," Premier League CEO Richard Masters was reported as saying.
The league boss added that adjustments will be made for safety's sake, like prioritizing the games to be played. He hinted that a normal will be in place as precautions for the still raging global health crisis.
Masters said Premier League games will be held behind closed doors, and that practice could be sustained well into the next season.
