Premier League postponement requests accepted too easily, says Paul Merson

"I can understand a Covid cancellation, but getting a game called off because you've got seven injuries? Come on. It's becoming too easy to get games called off. When are clubs going to play this re-arranged games?" Paul Merson on spate of Premier League postponements

Paul Merson

Football Expert & Columnist @PaulMerse

Friday 21 January 2022 14:16, UK

Paul Merson has had his say on the recent postponements in the Premier League, saying it has become too easy for clubs to get games called off.

Burnley vs Watford became the 22nd Premier League game to be postponed in just over a month on Monday evening and it followed the postponement of the north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal last Sunday.

The decision to accept Arsenal's postponement request sparked controversy and plenty of anger towards Arsenal and the Premier League's rules.

Gary Neville said the Premier League must force teams to fulfill their fixtures, while Jamie Carragher believes clubs are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic, and now, speaking to skysports.com, Merson has given his verdict...

'There is no care for the fans'

As soon as Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg at Liverpool was over, and Mikel Arteta said he would have to play Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Albert Sambi Lokonga in midfield in Sunday's north London derby, I thought the game was bang in trouble.

I did fancy Arsenal to win at Tottenham before all of the injuries and Granit Xhaka's suspension, but not after that. I mean, who was going to play in midfield?

That said, I just cannot believe they got the game called off.

These clubs have spent a lot of money on Academy football, on giving young kids a chance. How would those players feel when the manager turns around and says he hasn't got any players?

I can understand if the cancellation is due to Covid, if there are 10 cases in the camp and players have to do the right thing and isolate. But when you've got one Covid case but you're getting a game called off because you've got seven injuries? Come on. It's becoming too easy to get games called off.

In lockdown there was all this talk about the importance of the fans. Now they have called a game off so late. How many people will have travelled from afar and booked hotels to come to this big football match? There is no care for the fans.

Carragher: Young players should be given a chance

Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher speaking on last week’s Friday Night Football:

"I don't want this to be about Arsenal, it's about the Premier League as a whole. Every club has done this.

“No other league in Europe is doing this, certainly not in those big leagues. Bayern Munich played a 16-year-old in their last game and that tells you exactly where they are. Why can't we do that? Why can't the young players be given an opportunity in these circumstances?

"Everyone's in the same boat and I'm exactly with Gary. If it's an outbreak of Covid and it's decimated the squad I can understand that, but players being in the AFCON tournament and just normal injuries, that's got nothing to do with it.

"You've got U23 squads and younger players, and this is an opportunity where they can get a chance. I know there's a lot riding on Premier League games but at this moment there's no doubt teams up and down this country are taking advantage of the situation."

'Injuries are part of the game'

This is not the first time clubs have struggled to get teams out because of injuries, it's been going on since the inception of football, for over a hundred years.

Injuries are part of the game, it's how to manage players which sets clubs apart from others. Man-management and training are what cause the majority of injuries, and that is why some get a lorryload and others don't.

The reasons these managers and coaches are paid absolute fortunes is to improve the youth players to a level where they are good enough to play in the first team. It's as simple as that, that is their job.

Managers have an unbelievable opportunity to play players in the first team who wouldn't usually play and see how good a job they have done at coaching players to where they should be, but they haven't taken it.

What are the Premier League rules around postponements?

The 2021/22 Premier League handbook included Covid protocols and stated the Premier League's board will "only permit the rearrangement or postponement of a league match in exceptional circumstances".

The board make calls on a case-by-case basis, and by way of guidance the Premier League says permission for a postponement will not be granted if a club have 14 or more players from their squad list available. However, after the postponement of a number of games in the weeks leading up to Christmas, a new Premier League guide explaining match postponement protocols was published.

And there, these factors are considered when deciding whether to postpone a top-flight game:

1) The impact of COVID-19 infections on a club's squad, as well as injuries, illness and those isolating, and the number of players available on the squad list and any Under-21 players with appropriate experience. Where a club cannot field 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper either from its squad list or its appropriately experienced Under-21 players, the match will be postponed.

2) The status of any COVID-19 outbreak within a club, including the number of individuals affected, the sequence and source of infections and their proximity to the match in question.

3) A club's ability to safely prepare its players in the lead-up to a match.

4) Medical advice as to whether there is any unacceptable risk to the health and safety of players and staff by playing the match.

5)Any advice from UK Health Security Agency and other public bodies.

6) Any other exceptional circumstances.

Xhaka should still be suspended for Spurs

With each passing year it becomes bigger and bigger for clubs to stay up or get into the top four. If Arsenal and Tottenham were 12th and 13th in the Premier League rather than fifth and sixth and competing for the top four, that game would have been played.

The thing that is a joke with Arsenal is that they sent two players on loan the week before. Come on. Seriously. How do you get away with that?

I felt sorry for Tottenham. They were dumped out of the Europa Conference League for not being able to put a team out due to Covid, a reasonable excuse they couldn't do anything about.

Xhaka should miss the Tottenham game. He's banned for the next two matches after his red card at Anfield, the return leg against Liverpool and the Burnley match, but he should play against Burnley and miss the Spurs game, whenever it is rearranged.

If not now, when?

I don't know how the clubs are going to play all of these re-arranged games. All these clubs will soon be moaning about having to play Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

I mean, Burnley have got four games in hand on Norwich! What are we going to do, extend the Premier League into June?

It's hard enough rearranging a Sunday morning game, can you imagine a Premier League game? You've travel, hotels, the Covid bubble, police, stewards, tickets.

Neville: This has to stop now!

Sky Sports’ Gary Neville speaking on last week's Friday Night Football:

"I honestly believe that all teams, not just in the Premier League but the EFL now, must be made to play their fixtures.

"If it was purely down to Covid in extraordinary circumstances where there was 10 or 15 players out, but we're now talking about teams for the last few weeks where there's no doubt they've been calling games off based upon whether they think they've got the best squad or team to win a game. It's got to stop.

"That's not a dig at Arsenal - I should've spoken about this three or four weeks ago. Manchester United and other teams have got 30 to 40 players in their squad - I'm not having they can't get 13 to 16 players together.

"For me, it [Arsenal's request] should be rejected. Without knowing the exact detail, unless there is an absolute load of Covid cases coming today at Arsenal, I feel having played last night at Liverpool, it has to stop now this and we have to make teams play."

Hasenhuttl is right

Ralph Hasenhuttl said the other day that if a team has a game and it's called off due to Covid or injuries, when they replay it, the players they have signed in the January window shouldn't be allowed to play in the game. When I thought about his comments, they were so true.

It's not anyone else's fault that Burnley had a clause in Chris Wood's contract that meant he could be bought, but now, due to the cancellations, they have two weeks to find a centre-forward.

Let's be honest, whoever stays up and goes down will all come down to those two games - Newcastle vs Burnley and Burnley vs Watford, they are big football matches. What does this all mean for the integrity of the Premier League?

Which Premier League games have been called off?

Brighton vs Tottenham - Sunday December 12

Brentford vs Man Utd - Tuesday December 14 (now January 19, 8pm)

Burnley vs Watford - Wednesday December 15 and Tuesday January 18

Leicester vs Tottenham - Thursday December 16 (now January 19, 7.30pm)

Man Utd vs Brighton - Saturday December 18

Southampton vs Brentford - Saturday December 18; Southampton won re-arranged game 4-1 on Tuesday January 11

Watford vs Crystal Palace - Saturday December 18

West Ham vs Norwich - Saturday December 18; West Ham won re-arranged game 2-0 on Wednesday January 12

Aston Villa vs Burnley - Saturday December 18

Everton vs Leicester - Sunday December 19 and Tuesday January 11

Liverpool vs Leeds - Sunday December 26

Wolves vs Watford - Sunday December 26

Burnley vs Everton - Sunday December 26

Leeds vs Aston Villa - Tuesday December 28

Arsenal vs Wolves - Tuesday December 28

Everton vs Newcastle - Thursday December 30

Leicester vs Norwich - Saturday January 1

Southampton vs Newcastle - Sunday January 2

Everton vs Leicester - Tuesday January 11 (as above, this game had already previously been postponed from its original Sunday December 19 date)

Burnley vs Leicester - Saturday January 15

Tottenham vs Arsenal - Sunday January 16

Burnley vs Watford - Tuesday January 18 (as above, this game had already previously been postponed from its original Wednesday December 15 date)

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