Chelsea’s trip to Bayern will be much quieter with the game behind closed doors. It may not be the last which could change the course of the season.
Football has always been a reflection of the real world culturally, politically, and historically. Sometimes it becomes less of a reflection and is actually touched by outside factors. The latest is the Coronavirus.
Serie A and other Italian matches have already been stopped until further notice. The Champions League has been following suit with several matches being played behind closed doors, including Chelsea’s away trip to Bayern Munich next week. As of right now, the Premier League will go on but it is hard to tell how long that practice will continue.
Football is the most important of the least important things in the world and Coronavirus is certainly serious. It is still hard to separate how game cancellations or delays can affect the remainder of the season however. It could turn everything on its head.
First of all, the fans are the true home field advantage. Without them, it simply becomes a stadium elsewhere. With the advantage of being the home team gone, other variables gain in strength. And when that happens, the seemingly impossible can too.
Chelsea has a large aggregate deficit against Bayern Munich. But suddenly, that seems to be more in reach without the home fans. Difficult? Sure. Impossible. Not so much anymore.
Of course, that knife cuts both ways for Chelsea. Say Coronavirus continues its spread and the Football Association decides to close the doors after all. A team like West Ham might do better without the eye of their fans upon them. Chelsea already tends to struggle when the crowd is not pushing them along. What happens when there is no crowd at all to galvanize the side?
Again, these are small, minuscule issues compared to the havoc the Coronavirus is causing worldwide. The virus is infecting the game too.
Going forward, a decision would need to be made as to what to do with the games left unplayed. If the Champions League were to suspend the next round, when would it be played? What if the Premier League did?
The season is due to end in May and the Euros are due to start in June. Serie A will likely be on the forefront of what to do next, but that does not mean England will not follow suit. The games will either need to be played back to back in a short time period or the season will stretch out into Euro territory. The players, already exhausted after a long season, will have little rest as they continue at it through the competitions. That too could turn everything on its head.
Coronavirus has reached into football and it will have its consequences, however small in the grand scheme of things they may be. Chelsea is sitting in a decent spot as it is but that could easily change due to events outside of their control if the club does not prepare.