Well, the international break is over..game on! At least for some….there will be 2 crucial Premier league absentees this weekend!
With reports that a fair few EPL players remain unvaccinated, it is clear that the impact of Covid on the UK’s top sport is far from over. This is also the case this weekend. So, who exactly will be missing from our Football results and how does this affect their teams? First up is Newcastle United.
Never Going To Be A Great Time For This…
With the much anticipated takeover of Newcastle now over, the job of recovery from the basement of the EPL has begun..or so it seems!
The protracted appointment of Eddie Howe to the top coaching position was, whilst apparently not the first choice, supposedly was going to help safeguard the Black and Whites from relegation. But that is only the case if Eddie is actually able to weave his mastery!
Unfortunately, any recovery that Howe is able to engineer will have to ‘wait a while’. As per the BBC:
“New Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe will miss his first
game in charge of the club after testing positive for Covid-19 on Friday.”
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59354229
So, in what is a must win match to Newcastle as they host Brentford at 3pm, they enter the match with basically one hand tied behind their backs. Whilst Brentford have at times outperformed this season, Newcastle will fancy their chances at getting an invaluable 3 points…a hope that is now under threat.
Oh Kevin!
For the 2nd of the two critical absentees this weekend, we travel west to the city of Manchester…Manchester City in fact!
It’s no secret that City have an outstanding squad with considerable depth. However, one midfielder pulls the strings more than most…a certain Kevin De Bruyne.
Kevin is vaccinated. However, as we know, vaccination does not prevent someone from contracting Covid-19. So, the BBC points out that De Bruyne has tested positive for Covid, a critical absentee for ‘the noisy neighbours’ in Manchester.
Here is what the BBC said about it:
“The 30-year-old will isolate for 10 days,
meaning he will miss Sunday’s Premier League match at home to
Everton and Wednesday’s Champions League game against Paris St-Germain.“
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59350823
So, it turns out that KDB will not only miss Sunday’s game against Everton, but will also miss the critically important match against PSG.
A Pandemic That Is More Unwelcome Than The In-Laws…
Whilst these two absentees are vitally important cogs in the wheels of their prospective clubs, it just goes to show that the Covid ravaged last year or two are far from over.
Whilst the UK enjoys a fair swathe of freedoms, other areas of Europe are still being ravaged. As such, the EPL has taken the view that those with positive readings must still be treated seriously.
You will be missed this weekend Eddie and Kevin…
The article 2 Crucial Premier League Absentees This Weekend! first appeared on London Metro News.
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