Charting how the fixture list has been disrupted in the Premier League by ongoing Covid outbreaks - and how the disruption has varied from club to club...
Tuesday 4 January 2022 13:31, UK
Number of games postponed by Covid: 1; Number of games played in December: 7
Arsenal were hit harder by Covid at the start of the season than they have been - so far at least - this winter. While Arsenal had a number of players missing at Norwich on Boxing Day, only one would be considered a first-team player. By comparison, they were without a clutch of regulars on the first day of the season when a barely-recognisable team were beaten at Brentford.
Arsenal may even have welcomed Wolves' request for their trip to the Emirates on Tuesday to be called off given it spared Mikel Arteta's troops returning to action 43 hours after their victory at Norwich had ended. Instead, the Gunners now have a week off before facing Manchester City on New Year's Day.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 5
Steven Gerrard was absent for the defeat by Chelsea on Boxing Day after testing positive for Covid, and would have also been out of their trip to Leeds on December 28, which was postponed on Boxing Day due to a Covid outbreak in the Leeds side. That game fell with far more notice than Villa's home clash with Burnley, scheduled for December 18, which was postponed just over two hours before kick-off.
Villa are due to return to action at Brentford on January 2, live on Sky Sports, but no Carabao Cup or European commitments mean catching up on the two games missed should not be too tricky, although Gerrard admitted on December 22: "It's very unpredictable and hard to cope."
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 5
Bees boss Thomas Frank was vocal about the need to "break the chain" on the Covid crisis by introducing a circuit-break, speaking before the trip to Southampton on December 18 was postponed due to an outbreak in his squad. Brentford had also seen their home clash with Man Utd on December 14 postponed due to a number of cases in the United squad. But Frank's side have played twice since then - in the Carabao Cup against Chelsea on December 22 and the Premier League at Brighton on Boxing Day - and have a game against Manchester City on December 29.
Just before Christmas, Frank changed and said it was "right" for the league to continue, as long as there was transparency over cases, and even admitted their own circuit-break from the two postponed games "helped massively".
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 4
Brighton's two games postponed could have easily been three. Manager Graham Potter revealed Albion were unsuccessful in their request for the December 15 clash with Wolves - a 1-0 loss - to be rearranged following a Covid-19 and injury crisis at the club. Brighton's scheduled meeting with Tottenham on December 12 was postponed due to a Covid outbreak at the north London club, as was the trip to Man Utd on December 18 due to the Old Trafford side having only seven first-team players available.
Potter, like many Premier League managers, wants transparency, saying last week: "It would be better if it was more transparent but at the same time you're talking about medical information so I don't know how transparent that can be." They are due to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on December 29, then Everton away on January 2.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 3; Number of games played in December: 3
Burnley last played on December 12, since when Watford, Aston Villa and Everton have all successfully applied for their scheduled games against the Clarets to be postponed. As a result, Burnley are still yet to celebrate scoring a Premier League goal this month and have a fixture pile-up to come - with November's game against Spurs losing out to bad weather, the Clarets have so far played 15 league games this term, three fewer than the likes of Chelsea and Man City.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 0; Number of games played in December: 8
Thomas Tuchel spoke out angrily about his side's fixture list following Chelsea's win at Aston Villa on Boxing Day, describing their itinerary as "unfair" and "not right". Despite a number of Covid absentees through the month, Chelsea have not had a game called off - the league rejected their request for their match at Wolves to be postponed - and Tuesday's encounter with Brighton will be their 10th in a month. "They [the Premier League] made us play and so we play," complained Tuchel. "This cannot be the right way."
Number of games postponed by Covid: 1; Number of games played in December: 5
Prior to their return on Boxing Day, Palace's last game had been their home draw with Southampton on December 15. Palace's request for their game at Tottenham to be postponed was rejected by the Premier League and there was surprise when Palace's starting line-up then featured just one change from the side that had faced the Saints.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 3; Number of games played in December: 4
With Thursday's scheduled game against Newcastle postponed at the visitors' request, Everton will have been inactive for more than two weeks by the time they finally return to action - their next match is due to be played on January 2, they last played on December 16.
Everton themselves initially had a request to postpone their Boxing Day clash at Burnley rejected, but further Covid positives added to a long list of injuries, prompting the Premier League to act. As well as having two earlier games postponed - their clash at Leicester on December 19 also fell - Everton had to field a weakened side away at Chelsea on December 16, their last game played. But that depleted Everton side - Ellis Simms made his debut, while both Jonjoe Kenny and goalscorer Jarrad Branthwaite made their first Premier League starts of the season - earned a brilliant 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 4
Leeds' game with Aston Villa on Tuesday December 28 was postponed due to Covid-19 cases and injuries in the Leeds squad, adding to Leeds' trip to Liverpool on Boxing Day, which was also postponed. Managing director Angus Kinnear says Leeds United's players and backroom staff are "99 per cent" fully vaccinated against Covid, but Leeds are another side with a lengthy injury list to add to Covid absentees.
They were without 10 first-team players for the visit of Arsenal on December 18, meaning Cody Drameh (20), Joe Gelhardt (19), Sam Greenwood (19) and Liam McCarron (20) all appeared. The club's training ground was also shut over the Christmas period, but they are due to play Burnley at home on January 2.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 6
Brendan Rodgers' side have already had a packed December due to Europa League and Carabao Cup ties, but games against Spurs at home on December 16 and Everton away on December 19 also fell due to positive Covid cases in the Foxes squad. Leicester's form has not been great - it is just one win in six in all competitions, and the 6-3 reverse at Man City on Boxing Day prompted Rodgers to call this the period the "most challenging" of his managerial career, with injuries to defenders Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu, Ricardo Pereira, James Justin and Wesley Fofana adding to the woe.
"There's no doubt this is a huge challenge," said Rodgers. "We're not getting the violins out. You see what we're missing. The players aren't available. Offensively we're really good but if you're missing the players [we are] it's a real challenge."
Number of games postponed by Covid: 1; Number of games played in December: 7
Jurgen Klopp has been outspoken regarding the workload on players during the busy festive schedule, pointing out that the issues with Covid have only further intensified the problem.
Klopp's side achieved a relatively comfortable victory over Newcastle on December 16 without Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho, who along with Curtis Jones, tested positive for Covid on the morning of the game. However, their defence was exposed without their two central figures in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham on December 19. After that fixture, Klopp, who also could not select Thiago Alcantara due to Covid, said it had "become impossible for the Premier League to continue with its current fixture list".
The subsequent postponement of Liverpool's Boxing Day match with Leeds due to coronavirus issues within the Leeds squad gives those players additional time to get back up to speed before the trip to Leicester on December 28.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 0; Number of games played in December: 7
Pep Guardiola has stayed out of the conversation regarding postponing games and potentially the league itself with the City boss encouraging his players and the public to adhere to all the health advice. His squad have seemingly dodged a mass breakout of the virus within their walls as Guardiola has steered City through a busy period showing relentless form that has taken them to the top of the Premier League following nine wins on the bounce, scoring 30 goals in the process. Guardiola did have to cancel his media duties ahead of the Newcastle game on Sunday December 19 after returning an inconclusive coronavirus test, but a subsequent test provided a negative result.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 5
Remarkably, Manchester United's game against Newcastle was their first in 16 days - they had previously last played on December 11 in a 1-0 win at Norwich. Four players were reported to have tested positive after that game and, in addition to the pair of postponements that followed, United also had to close their Carrington training ground.
But after their prolonged break, the United squad now faces a frenetic week with the Newcastle trip followed by games against Burnley and Wolves on Thursday and Monday. "It feels like a new season is starting for Manchester United," noted Gary Neville on Monday Night Football.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 5
The day after their stirring draw with Man Utd, their first game in over a week, Newcastle got permission to postpone their midweek clash at Everton, with their trip to Southampton on January 2 then also postponed.
Eddie Howe had described his squad as being "hit and stretched" ahead of the meeting with Man United and named six outfield substitutes for the match before losing Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser to in-game injuries. It's unclear how many players Newcastle are currently missing due to Covid.
But Newcastle's relatively busy schedule in December has also distorted the picture at the bottom of the table - the Man Utd game was Newcastle's 19th of the season whereas Burnley, the team closest to Newcastle in the league table, signed off for Christmas having played just 15.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 1; Number of games played in December: 5
A combination of Covid, illness and injuries led to Norwich's game at West Ham being postponed a week before Christmas, but Dean Smith's side have nevertheless been busy - playing five games between November 30, when they drew at Newcastle, and Boxing Day, before reappearing two days' later at Palace.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 6
Ralph Hasenhuttl's squad could be considered to have benefited from a recent enforced break after their scheduled match at Brentford on December 18 was postponed due to an outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the opposition camp. And the same thing happened at the end of the month when Newcastle's trip to S Mary's was postponed due to Covid cases and injuries in the visitors' squad.
The Saints, meanwhile, have managed to keep the virus at bay within their dressing room, with Hasenhuttl revealing that his players are now changing in their cars and taking packed lunches to training in order to limit any transmission of Covid.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 6
Spurs were the first side to successfully request a Covid-related Premier League postponement when they had their game at Brighton on December 12 called off before their scheduled game at Leicester four days' later followed suit. With bad weather also putting pay to November's game at Burnley, Spurs' game at Southampton on December 28 was their first away match in the Premier League in 51 days.
Spurs now have three league fixtures to shoehorn into their schedule in the new year alongside a double-header Carabao Cup semi-final. They will not, however, have to worry about Europa Conference League complications - after Covid absences also resulted in their game against Rennes being called off, Spurs were eliminated from the competition.
Number of games postponed by Covid: 3; Number of games played in December: 4
Watford finally returned to action on December 28 against West Ham - 18 days after their last Premier League outing.
In the intervening period, three scheduled Watford games were postponed, with their match at Burnley on December 15 called off two hours just before kick-off. "The decision was taken following guidance from medical advisers due to an ongoing Covid-19 outbreak within Watford's squad," said the Premier League. "As a result, the club has an insufficient number of first-team players available to fulfil the match."
Number of games postponed by Covid: 2; Number of games played in December: 5
Wolves played their fifth game of December on the 19th of the month but that goalless draw at home to Chelsea proved to be their final action of 2021. The Boxing Day game against Watford at Molineux was postponed because of the visitors before a Covid-19 outbreak among Bruno Lage's squad saw the trip to Arsenal on December 28 also called off. Six confirmed cases of Covid-19 among the Wolves squad put paid to that fixture.
Nobody can accuse the club of not doing all that it can to limit the impact of the virus. "Everyone in our building is fully vaccinated, which is the right thing to do," said Lage earlier this month.
Brighton vs Tottenham - Sunday December 12, Premier League
Brentford vs Man Utd - Tuesday December 14, Premier League
Burnley vs Watford - Wednesday December 15, Premier League
Leicester vs Tottenham - Thursday December 16, Premier League
Man Utd vs Brighton - Saturday December 18, Premier League
Southampton vs Brentford - Saturday December 18, Premier League
Watford vs Crystal Palace - Saturday December 18, Premier League
West Ham vs Norwich - Saturday December 18, Premier League
Aston Villa vs Burnley - Saturday December 18, Premier League
Everton vs Leicester - Sunday December 19, Premier League
Liverpool vs Leeds - Sunday December 26, Premier League
Wolves vs Watford - Sunday December 26, Premier League
Burnley vs Everton - Sunday December 26, Premier League
Leeds vs Aston Villa - Tuesday December 28, Premier League
Arsenal vs Wolves - Tuesday December 28, Premier League
Everton vs Newcastle - Thursday December 30, Premier League
Southampton vs Newcastle - Sunday January 2, Premier League
European football's governing body UEFA has confirmed the Premier League can now rearrange league games to be played on Champions League matchdays.
UEFA rules had prevented domestic games clashing with European competition matches, but officials will now consider rearrangements on a case by case basis when no other date can be found to help ease fixture congestion.
A UEFA statement read: "As stated in Article 3.9 in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UEFA and the European Leagues, clubs may be allowed to schedule matches on dates reserved for UEFA club competitions when no other date could be found. Any decision by UEFA would be taken on a case-by-case basis.
"UEFA is aware of the difficulty of the situation and that the match calendar is highly impacted by COVID.
"As a general principle, the MoU applies, but we will of course discuss this issue with our stakeholders in order to find an amicable solution for all parties involved, in the event that a clash should occur."
There currently appear to be 15 midweek slots where postponed games could be played in the new year - however, these often clash with Champions League and Europa League knockout rounds, as well as FA Cup and Carabao Cup ties.
There are some options. Could the Premier League's two-week winter break at the end of January and start of February be scrapped? Or will teams be asked to play beyond the scheduled final weekend of the season, May 22?
