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It’s been six weeks since the English Premier League suspended play due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Arsenal has been out slightly longer, having gone into self-isolation after manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for COVID-19 on March 12. But Arsenal training is set to resume on shortly, even though England has yet to lift stay-at-home measures in the country.
How exactly are the Gunners doing this at a time when players across the league have been reprimanded for defying social distancing measures by training together outdoors? Should players be given a pass to train while the rest of the country remains on lockdown?
According to ESPN, sources have said Arsenal training will include strict measures at their London Colney grounds to ensure players cannot spread COVID-19 to one another.
Arsenal statement to @Football_LDN: "Players will be permitted access to the Colney grounds next week. Access will be limited, carefully managed and social distancing will be maintained at all times."
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) April 25, 2020
Here’s how the social-distanced Arsenal training will go down:
Arsenal Training Guidelines During COVID-19
- Players will travel alone to training
- Players will arrive with their gear on, so they don’t spend time in the locker room
- Players will go straight to the outdoor pitches
- There will be no indoor training or weightlifting, with all buildings closed
- Players will train alone or in small groups, staying at least two meters apart at all times
- Players will train in a rotation, so not all first-team players are together at once
- Players will go straight home after training without showering or eating
Sounds reasonable, but is it good enough?
Even if players maintain a fair distance from one another, there’s always the possibility of someone coughing on a ball that’s then played to another teammate’s head, thus potentially spreading the virus. And just being in the same vicinity as others puts the players at risk, as COVID-19 can spread through the air.
With the coach having contracted the disease, you’d think the Gunners might take things more seriously than other clubs. Alas, conducting Arsenal training has been deemed more important than these potential risk factors.
I do have one idea for the Gunners: Have everyone train wearing a Gunnersaurus costume. This way, everyone has plenty of PPE to prevent the virus from spreading.
When play halted, Arsenal sat in ninth place in the Premier League, eight points behind fourth-place Chelsea, albeit with a game in hand. Arsenal needs all the help it can get if it hopes to return to the Champions League, even if Manchester City is kept out of the competition.
Finally, I feel obliged to mention today is the 16-year anniversary of the Invincibles clinching the Premier League title at White Hart Lane, even if Arsenal tweeted out a photo featuring a sign with a very dumb grammatical error.
#OnThisDay in 2004...
We won the league at White Hart Lane pic.twitter.com/9hsAyi5IIQ— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 25, 2020
