When Real Sociedad won a crucial three points away to Eibar on 10th March, we knew a delay to the Spanish league was coming, but six weeks later we still don’t know how quite long it will be.
Back then, in the last game before the enforced break, goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Willian Jose lifted La Real up to fourth in the table, and their fans would be more than happy to take that now, or indeed in a couple of months time.
We want to get back to football in Spain as soon as it’s safe to do so, and see the players who can light up La Liga and the Champions League back in action. But there is little light to see at the end of the tunnel just yet, while over in Germany the Bundesliga seems to be closer to a return.
Health minister urges patience
Spain has slightly eased its lockdown this weekend, though travel into and around the country will remain a challenge for some time. Ending the league now, as Dutch officials have already done with the Eredivisie, could cost La Liga up to 1bn Euros. But the Spanish health minister, Salvador Illa says professional football is not likely to return until June at the earliest: “It would be reckless for me to say that football will be back before the summer,” he said.
The league is planning to provide tests for players but some clubs are concerned by the moral position of testing players while tests are scarce for the general public in Spain. Celta Vigo players are refusing to take COVID 19 tests as they believe others in Spanish society need them more urgently.
Then there is the question of how the games can resume safely. Rafa Ramos, president of the association of Spanish football club doctors recently said: “All the material, even the pitches, will have to be sterilised before a match, at half-time and afterwards. When you are struck by a sterilised ball on a sterilised pitch it’s very hard to get infected.”
Ramos also points to the risk of injuries, if players are asked to return to match action too quickly after being away from club training facilities for up to two months. Some players have gyms at home and it seems Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos will be ready to lead Los Blancos into action when asked. He’s posted a video of himself training at his home gym and he doesn’t seem to have lost any of his pace judging by the speed he built up on his treadmill!
As and when we do resume, the La Liga 2020 betting odds here at SBOBET puts Barcelona ahead of Real Madrid in the battle for the league title, but it will be one heck of a race.
Barca looking ahead
The Catalans will win the league title for a third season in succession if they can finish the job in the summer, but they are already planning for next season and were putting a lot of effort into bringing Neymar back to the club from PSG, before being hit by the economic impact of the shutdown. The Blaugrana needs to finish the league and collect the revenues if they are to have a chance of bringing the unhappy Brazilian back home.
He’s won two league titles and a Coupe de France in Paris but the Ligue 1 giants have failed to break through the glass ceiling of the Champions League, and Neymar didn’t make it onto the 30 man shortlist for the Ballon D’Or for the first time since 2010.
Reports are circulating that Neymar wants to play with Messi again, and when the Barca skipper eventually hangs up his boots then maybe the Brazil star can become the top dog at the Camp Nou. But the reigning champions need to balance the books and, according to other La Liga 2020 news, one player who could raise some finance if sold would be attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho. He is on loan at FC Bayern but is unlikely to extend his stay in Munich and is said to prefer a return to the Premier League.
Chelsea are seemingly in the hunt, but reports have been circulating that Coutinho would favour a return to Liverpool, though the Reds are unlikely to meet the £145m price they sold the player for three years ago.
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