There is a potential storm brewing over the next international break, though even a superficial look reveals that this is an international break that really should not be taking place at all for obvious reasons both important (containing global pandemic) and trivial (football).
From a Premier League standpoint – and really what other standpoint matters? – the problem is the UK’s current ‘red list’ of 33 countries that require 10 days of hotel quarantine upon return to England. There is no current exemption for elite sportspeople on this, and the red list includes such minor footballing outposts as Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Portugal.
Jurgen Klopp has already said Liverpool won’t be releasing their players – FIFA’s covid rules do allow clubs this option if a player is heading for a country that would require five or more days of quarantine upon return – and other clubs will likely follow suit.
But if players want to play and no exemption is forthcoming, this could get silly.
The fixtures listed here are obviously provisional – they can and will be moved for TV but they’ll be played on those weekends.
Arsenal
Players affected: Gabriel (Brazil), Gabriel Martinelli (Brazil), Willian (Brazil), Cedric Soares (Portugal), Thomas Partey (Ghana)
Games they could miss: April 3, Liverpool (H); April 10, Sheffield United (A)
That’s very much a worst-case scenario for Arsenal. Neither Gabriel nor Martinelli have been capped at full international level, while Willian’s last cap came in November 2019. Soares’ last Portugal cap came in 2018 and we haven’t even included David Luiz.
Partey is the one that will raise concern, and we’re assuming here – as we will with a few more players down this list – that Ghana’s trip to South Africa is going to mean quarantine on return to England.
Aston Villa
Players affected: Emiliano Martinez (Argentina), Douglas Luiz (Brazil)
Games they could miss: April 3, Fulham (H); April 10, Liverpool (A)
Martinez remains uncapped but is very much an Argentina squad keeper these days, while Douglas Luiz has started Brazil’s last four games and would be another key loss for Villa.
Brighton
Players affected: Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), Steven Alzate (Colombia)
Games they could miss: April 3, Man United (A); April 10, Everton (H)
Mac Allister has been on the fringes of the Argentina squad over the last year. We’ve not included Jose Izquierdo on the basis that he is unlikely to feature in the plans of either Colombia or Brighton having made zero first-team appearances this season.
Burnley
Players affected: None
None of that foreign muck here, thank you very much.
Chelsea
Players affected: Thiago Silva (Brazil)
Games they could miss: April 3, West Brom (H); April 10, Crystal Palace (A)
Chelsea get off relatively lightly compared to most of the other big clubs, with Thiago a high-profile yet sole potential absentee. As with Sadio Mane, we think Edouard Mendy is fine: Senegal are not on the red list themselves, and play Congo (not red-listed DR Congo) away and red-listed Eswatini at home in the international break. But, and this is key, we may very well be wrong.
Crystal Palace
Players affected: Jeffrey Schlupp (Ghana), Jordan Ayew (Ghana)
Games they could miss: April 3, Everton (A); April 10, Chelsea (H)
Schlupp is currently injured anyway, and see Arsenal for our Ghana reasoning.
Everton
Players affected: Yerry Mina (Colombia), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Andre Gomes (Portugal), Allan (Brazil), Bernard (Brazil), Richarlison (Brazil)
Games they could miss: April 3, Crystal Palace (H); April 10, Brighton (A)
That’s, um, that’s quite a lot of quite important players, isn’t it? Tricky times on Merseyside if this all goes ahead as currently planned.
Fulham
Players affected: None
Unless Ivan Cavaleiro gets a Portugal recall seven years after his second and currently final cap, of course.
Leeds
Players affected: Raphinha (Brazil), Helder Costa (Portugal)
Games they could miss: April 3, Sheffield United (H); April 10, Manchester City (A)
A Yorkshire derby and a nice easy three points at Manchester City are the games Leeds might have to muddle through without Helder Costa (unlikely but okay) and Raphinha (also unlikely but not okay)
Leicester
Players affected: Daniel Amartey (Ghana), Ricardo Pereira (Portugal)
Games they could miss: April 3, Manchester City (H); April 10, West Ham (A)
It’s all right, it’s not like Leicester have got any other players out. And those aren’t important games they’d miss. Pereira obviously the big one here, with three years having passed since Amartey’s last international cap. He was injured for a lot of that time, though, and the fact he’s back playing for Leicester could get him back on the Ghana radar. Alas, they’re playing away at very red-listed South Africa.
Liverpool
Players affected: Alisson Becker (Brazil), Fabinho (Brazil), Roberto Firmino (Brazil), Diogo Jota (Portugal), Naby Keita (Guinea)
Games they could miss: April 3, Arsenal (A); April 10, Aston Villa (H)
The Brazilian trio form the core of Jurgen Klopp’s concern, while Jota would be another big loss so soon after his return to fitness.
We’re including Naby Keita on the basis that he appears to be back to fitness and Guinea face a trip to Namibia, but not Sadio Mane because Senegal should be fine playing Congo away and Eswatini at home (see Chelsea) but we cannot stress enough that these are barely educated guesses at this point.
Manchester City
Players affected: Ederson (Brazil), Fernandinho (Brazil), Gabriel Jesus (Brazil), Joao Cancelo (Portugal), Ruben Dias (Portugal), Bernardo Silva (Portugal), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
Games they could miss: April 3, Leicester (A); April 10, Leeds (H)
Even for a squad of City’s calibre, that leaves quite the hole. With Mahrez, Algeria is not on the red list but they have a fixture in Zambia, which is.
Manchester United
Players affected: Alex Telles (Brazil), Fred (Brazil), Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay)
Games they could miss: April 3, Brighton (H); April 10, Tottenham (A)
To be fair, 10 days doing nowt in a hotel room might be just what a visibly exhausted Bruno needs.
Newcastle
Players affected: Miguel Almiron (Paraguay)
Games they could miss: April 3, Tottenham (H); April 10, Burnley (A)
We’ve assumed here that Joelinton isn’t about to get that shock Brazil call that he thought was just some of the lads winding him up.
Sheffield United
Players affected: None
Finally, some long overdue good news for the Blades.
Southampton
Players affected: None
Finally, some long overdue good news for the Saints.
Tottenham
Players affected: Erik Lamela (Argentina), Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina), Davinson Sanchez (Colombia), Lucas Moura (Brazil)
Games they could miss: April 3, Newcastle (A); April 10, Man United (H)
Jose Mourinho will take this quietly in his stride. We’ve Joelintoned Carlos Vinicius, which might be harsh but is probably accurate. Lucas Moura hasn’t played for Brazil since 2018, but we’ve sort of used that as a tentative cut-off elsewhere so he’s on the list.
West Brom
Players affected: None
Unless Matheus Pereira has caught Tite’s eye.
West Ham
Players affected: Fabian Balbuena (Paraguay), Manuel Lanzini (Argentina), Said Benrahma (Algeria)
Games they could miss: April 3, Wolves (A); April 10, Leicester (H)
Probably be fine with Lanzini to be honest. Benrahma’s Algeria travel to red-listed Zambia, so he’s on this list until we hear otherwise.
Wolves
Players affected: Rui Patricio (Portugal), Nelson Samedo (Portugal), Ruben Neves (Portugal), Daniel Podence (Portugal), Joao Moutinho (Portugal), Vitinha (Portugal), Pedro Neto (Portugal), Fabio Silva (Portugal)
Games they could miss: April 3, West Ham (H); April 10, Fulham (A)
“Hey, lads, stick with me – I can help get you loads of really good players from Portugal. For reals. Seriously, what could possibly go wrong?”
The post Covid red list: Which Prem stars face 10-day quarantine? appeared first on Football365.com.