Mikel Arteta gives verdict on whether Leeds fixture should be postponed
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he doesn’t know the best solution for postponed Premier League fixtures as the weekend game against Leeds looks set to be played.
Five Premier League games and 24 EFL fixtures have been postponed for the coming weekend amid the recent outbreak of COVID-19 around the UK.
However Leeds’ home game at Elland Road against fourth-placed Arsenal is currently set to go ahead, despite a host of other games being called off due to illness and positive tests.
Leeds are in relegation trouble currently with just 16 points from 17 games so far this season and will be coming into the game off the back of a 7-0 thumping by Man City in midweek.
While the game looks set to be played currently, Arsenal boss Arteta spoke about whether he believed it would be fairer for all games to be called off amid the spike in positive cases.
“I don’t know what the best solution is. I understand it’s really complicated. What I’m saying is let’s make a decision based on what is best for the competition and the health of everyone involved. After that then clear guidance on if it’s a yes or a no,” he said during his pre-game press conference.
No right answer
There doesn’t seem to be a right or wrong answer to the current situation, but what’s clear is that it isn’t going to go away any time soon.
With so many games being called off and teams falling several fixtures behind the schedule, the end of the season is likely to be absolutely full of games to play with little time to play them.
A circuit-breaker certainly seems like a logical solution, but there is no guarantee it would work and then the season would fall further behind too.
Arteta’s answer is the right one and while Leeds are likely to continue to struggle with injuries in the short-term, if they are capable of fielding a team then they should fulfil the fixture.
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