It’s Premierleaguemas Eve, so here’s a rundown of 12 little changes that are coming to the top flight this season.
1. An extended World Cup winter break
The big one. The disruptor.
There have been many theories on the effect that a winter World Cup will have on the Premier League this season, and it’s certainly reasonable to say that the answer to the question of who will benefit the most from it all is very much open.
We might expect smaller clubs with fewer players being called up to benefit from a lengthy break, but it’s also worth remembering that great players can come from countries that don’t routinely qualify for these tournaments. Neither Mo Salah nor Erling Haaland will be at the finals because Egypt and Norway didn’t qualify.
And it’s also worth considering that players returning from the tournament under a cloud – hello England! – may find their form affected after it’s done.
The last round of Premier League fixtures to be played before everybody breaks up is on November 13, by which time 16 rounds of matches will have been played.
Everybody’s due to be back on Boxing Day, though it should also be added that clubs have been promised a gap of a minimum of 48 hours between games. Clubs also have permission to play friendlies while the World Cup is on, so long as matches aren’t scheduled to conflict with matches being played in the World Cup. Lower league and non-league football will be continuing throughout.
2. No more taking the knee before matches
The decision has been taken that players will stop taking the knee in protest against racism before the start of matches. This has been happening since the start of the 2020/21 season following global anger at police involvement in the death of George Floyd, but there has been a growing feeling that the symbolism of the gesture had been waning in recent months.
Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination organisation, has already confirmed that during the 2021/22 season there had been a 41% rise in discriminatory incidents reported in grassroots football compared to the last full season of games before the pandemic.
It would take a remarkable level of myopia to believe that taking the knee ‘solved’ anything (as if this were even possible), and the players’ union, the PFA, confirmed that players are still determined to use their platform and voice to draw attention to racial injustice and discrimination, but it is not known what form this will take.
3. An increase in…
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