Not all teams left cold by the football freeze

For most of Europe’s clubs things still remain uncertain. It is mostly because the COVID-19 spread hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down.

It wasn’t long ago that José Mourinho lamented about Tottenham Hotspur’s struggles due to injuries to key players, saying he couldn’t put together a team anymore. In Spain, Barcelona coach Quique Setién had conceded his team would play most of the later season without Luis Suárez after the striker had to undergo knee surgery.

The year-long postponement will alter things significantly for the Euro (UEFA)

Belgium and France were not really counting on the injured Eden Hazard and Ousmane Dembele for Euro 2020. All this anxiety may stop as the coronavirus pandemic that has led to a blanket suspension of competitions and illness for some players, coaches and support staff, may also help some clubs and nations.

With the Euro postponed to next summer, the knock on effect on clubs and countries is huge. Injured players across the continent—Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte and Suarez, Dembele and Hazard, among others, now have a chance to recover and play a part before the season ends. Players like Hazard, who looked set to miss the Euro, will be relieved with the postponement.

For most of Europe’s clubs things still remain uncertain. It is mostly because the COVID-19 spread hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down. How long the leagues remain suspended and whether commercial obligations would force them to resume behind closed doors remains to be seen.

Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert warned on Monday that the industry would collapse in Germany if the suspension continued for too long.

“A point will arrive, without fans, without TV rights and without the sponsorship income, the clubs’ future will be threatened,” he said. “We are currently fighting for these thousands of jobs, not so (only because) we can pay the salaries of the players.”

For many of Europe’s heavyweights—Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and the like—financial strain will be compounded because many pre-season obligations ahead of the next campaign will be potentially affected by this season’s delayed finish.

EFFECT ON EUROS

The year-long postponement will alter things significantly for the Euro. For starters, with the group stage draw already made, participants, barring the four teams that will come through the playoffs, will have the unusual comfort of an extra year to prepare for their opponents.

It means lot of time to address long-standing issues in the squad. England manager Gareth Southgate won’t be too disappointed. The delay means forwards Kane and Rashford won’t have to be rushed back from injuries to play.

Youngsters will gain experience

It also means youngsters like Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Callum Hudson-Odoi will have another year to develop before they, at least some of them, lead England’s charge in Europe next summer.

What about Belgium? Roberto Martinez’s side was expected to be one of the favourites for the title. With Eden Hazard now having another year to recover, Martinez will be somewhat relieved.

At the same time, key members of the Red Devils’ golden generation who are already in their 30s—Dries Mertens, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel—will get a year older. Given how hectic national cup competitions are, Martinez might want to look for a few younger alternatives.

Defending champions Portugal will have a similar problem. By the time of the Euros, Cristiano Ronaldo will be 36, Rui Patricio 33, Jose Fonte 37 and Joao Moutinho 34. The good news is that Portugal will arguably have a better squad than the last time with the likes of Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota, Ruben Neves and Bernardo Silva in it.

An ageing squad shouldn’t be an issue for Spain, Netherlands, Germany or world champions France, who have a pool of younger players. Italy too will have many young options to choose from but will hope Ciro Immobile’s incredible goal-scoring run continues into next year’s Euros.

A year is a long time in football and the dynamics for the Euros could change. While players who would have missed this year’s tournament through injuries will get the chance to play next year, there will be others who would have been fit to play this year but not in the summer of 2021.

For the smaller teams, the biggest gift of this delay is time, to prepare for specific opponents in the group stages.