The Premier League must find a way to finish the season in its entirety, according to former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock.
England’s top-flight has been suspended since March 13 due to the global coronavirus crisis, leaving clubs, players and supporters in limbo.
Up to now there has been no confirmed resumption date, although reports have suggested that games could start up in June, with the aim of concluding the campaign by the end of July.
Liverpool, of course, needed just two more wins in order to clinch their first league championship since 1990, with Jurgen Klopp’s side 25 points clear of Manchester City when the Premier League was suspended.
At the bottom, the likes of Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Norwich were all hoping to avoid relegation, while in the Football League clubs such as Leeds, West Brom, Coventry and Crewe were all well-placed to secure promotion.
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Some football figures, including England captain Harry Kane, have suggested the season should be declared null and void but Warnock, speaking to Goal for an exclusive documentary ‘The Long Wait’, rejected that idea.
He said: “First and foremost, health and safety is the most important thing for everyone. It's a contact sport, so there have to be a lot of considerations.
“A lot has been spoken about testing players before they go back, quarantined hotels, games behind closed doors. The big question is will it end and when.
“I think the season has to finish. I’m not saying that as a fan of Liverpool but as a fan in general. I’d be saying the same if I supported anyone, even down the bottom end.
“I wouldn't want to stay in the Premier League by default. I look at Coventry, Crewe, Leeds, West Brom – there are so many scenarios to play out. The season has to play out because of all the unsolved permutations.”
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Warnock was at Anfield for Liverpool’s last fixture, their Champions League last-16 defeat to Atletico Madrid on March 11, and admits he, like many others, had been blasé about the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic at that point. And with the benefit of hindsight, and the knowledge that more than 10,000 people have died due to the virus in the UK, he says it was a surprise that it took so long for the Premier League to suspend games.
“You and I were at the game,” he said. “The first thing I heard when I got to the ground was that the tunnel was shut. No media. Protect the players at all costs.
“If we're honest we were all a bit blasé about it, we didn't realise the severity of disease, just how contagious it was. We were all sat in the media room, anyone could have had it and we wouldn't have had a clue.
“It’s only come to light in recent weeks just how bad it is. Before that there was naivety from a lot of people thinking it wouldn't affect them, and now we're seeing the full effects.
“Looking back, it is surprising game went ahead. The biggest surprise to me was that Madrid fans weren’t allowed to travel in Spain, but were allowed to come to England, we don't know the impact that that decision had, do we?
“I’m surprised it took so long, seeing how quickly other leagues reacted. I don't think it had hit our country the way it hit others, but the Premier League thought they could ride it out for longer. Looking back - was it the right thing to do?”
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With the UK under lockdown since March 23, training grounds have been closed and players and coaches kept apart. Training has been done via online stretching and yoga sessions, as well as personalised running regimes.
“No one can prepare for this,” Warnock says. “World leaders don't know how to deal with it, so how do you deal with it from a football perspective? The country, the world, has come to a halt.
“At the end of the day, for the players football is a job. When they can't go to work, they're going to be affected.
“The hardest thing is that it’s out of your hands. You can't go into training to train harder; someone could pull the plug on the whole thing. The mindset of the Liverpool players has been so positive, they just have to be ready for whatever comes. There’s no other way. If you start thinking negatively it won't achieve anything.”
He adds: “I think it might also offer some perspective for players. For a footballer, there are days when you think 'I can't be bothered with this' and it does become a job.
“I know fans will say ‘if I could change positions with you just for a day’. I get that. This step away shows players what could be taken away from them.
“It's almost like players now can get the feeling that I got when I retired, it's been taken away you can't do anything about it. I miss it like crazy, the banter in the dressing room, and players will be craving it now, believe me. They’ll have their WhatsApp groups and their chats, but it soon slows down.
“You have to change your mentality and look forward, think of the positives. The biggest thing is to try and put yourself in a routine, set a goal every day. The people around you are so important.”