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Chelsea: Hard to separate cancelling the league from league position

By Travis Tyler

Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho (L) gestures as Chelsea's English head coach Frank Lampard looks on during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in London on February 22 2020. (Photo by Ian KINGTON / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho (L) gestures as Chelsea's English head coach Frank Lampard looks on during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in London on February 22 2020. (Photo by Ian KINGTON / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images) /
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The prospect of the Premier League being over for Chelsea and others is real. Most solutions seem to be based on where that team is in the league though.

Rarely do I use first person in articles, but I would like to start with saying I am not a scientist. I do not have a full grasp on the Coronavirus or how long this pandemic is expected to last. It may be gone in the two weeks football worldwide is waiting for and it may not be. I simply do not have that answer.

What does seem clear is that it appears difficult to separate proposed solutions by fans from where that fan’s team is currently positioned in the table. That can be expected, but there will simply be no ideal solution and everyone in the Premier League, Serie A, the Bundesliga or wherever will be trying to get the best solution for their team rather than the best solution overall.

One thing most cannot really argue about is who will win the Premier League title. Is it possible Liverpool drop the 25 points or more in their remaining nine games as Manchester City gains those points and overtakes them for the title? Sure, but it is so unlikely that awarding the title to Liverpool regardless of if the Premier League resumes or not is not much of an arguable point.

The rest of the table is not as clean. Manchester City has an open appeal going for Champions League so fifth place may or may not be a Champions League spot. That and the FA Cup being a Europa League qualifier make the spots for Europe an open ended question.

Related Story. Chelsea can teach Liverpool a lot about how to play, win and lose. light

One solution many are suggesting is the league be frozen as it is and the spots be awarded accordingly. That would guarantee Chelsea and Manchester United (as of right now) Champions League spots, but Wolverhampton, Sheffield United (a game behind as it is), Tottenham, and Arsenal may all have a bone to pick with that solution. They would argue that over the last nine (or 10) games that they could close the gap. It is hard to justify why they should not be allowed that opportunity.

The bottom of the table will be just as much of a mess. More or less, the relegation battle seems to be down to the bottom six with only Norwich truly looking as if they are out on their own. A freeze now would unfairly relegate teams that could easily pull out of relegation with just one more match day.

Playoffs for Champions League, Europa League, and safety from relegation have also been floated but who is invited and who is not? Say eight teams are invited to both. If Burnley in tenth were to win and earn a Champions League spot, would that be fair? How far is it allowed to reach?

Of course, continuing the league is not necessarily the right decision either. The virus may have run its course in two weeks, but if it has not then what is the play? Delay again? Play on anyways?

Chelsea's injuries the biggest benefactor of league delay. dark. Next

There are simply no right solutions to dealing with this and it shows how unprepared the world was for an event like this. It is hard to separate how a club is currently doing from their fans’ proposed solution to the issue. It may just become a case of there being no fair solution and someone having to suffer for something outside of their control.

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