Charlie Nicholas: Soccer Saturday pundit says finishing leagues the priority once coronavirus crisis is over

How should the Premier League play out once they’re allowed to resume?

I think the Premier League becomes priority above all. UEFA had to cancel Euro 2020, which may not have been common sense, but the international scene is not as strong as it used to be, so it can be delayed. Football is a wonderful habit - when they need it, it is there for them.

The racism and homophobia is something which people do not like in football, but when there is more hurt, for example Liverpool and Hillsborough, the Munich disaster, there are so many more ingredients that say life becomes more important than the game of football.

The most important thing is finishing the domestic competitions - the FA Cup can wait, but each of the clubs need to see where they can go, whether that be league champions, play-offs or relegation.

We have no clue on the timeframe, but it could be ready for May or June. There are different shifts involved with clubs coming back, but whenever we are ready, the only priority I see is getting the league campaign finished.

Could we play behind closed doors? By the time this concludes, you are hoping that the health of people is not at risk, but you have to take into account their friends and families too.

All domestic leagues need finishing and wrapping up. If we play through the summer, we have to do that. Nobody has a magic wand that can tell you when the game of football will start again. Until then, we have to be supportive of the people fighting the virus.

Opinions will be different with the idea of nulling and voiding the season. We wait until the health of the public is positive and back where it needs to be, so fans can come and watch, before bringing down a conclusion on another magical Premier League campaign.

Do we need to complete this season before we can start the next one?

Yes. If that means a delay, then so be it. We are trying to fantasise about this. If they take a hit on the Carabao Cup next season, then that is OK too. The FA Cup comes later down the line so that could take a hit, but the issue would be with the non-league sides there, which is not ideal.

We are transfixed on a calendar agenda, the whole essence of the fixtures for next season being played at the usual times in August, but that can changem football fixtures change all the time and football can change in a more diverse way.

Football is a true entertainment business, but this is for the people. It is the fans of the clubs involved in the big events of the campaign who want the answers to the end of the season.

Something great could still happen here. Norwich could stay up, while Wolves and Sheffield United are fighting for European football. All the conversations will always be about the league. This gets the privilege - get it finished with the fans in the stadiums.

Whenever it is completed, whether it is in August or September, we get it completed and finished, and then we move on.

Was it the right decision for the Euros to take place next summer?

Absolutely, I could not agree more. I was hoping for this. UEFA are so cut up about their own importance - would the Champions League be completed or would the Euros still stand? This is not important, you can delay it a year.

Even in Glasgow, if it ended up changing to one location rather than all of these locations, it would still be the Euros! It would have the same impact and the same credibility as to what it has now. We still have the play-offs to decide on and until we get the completion of that, it could never go ahead anyway.

It had no relevance on being completed, as Scotland still have a chance of qualifying. What was the point of the Nations League and the principle if not? I totally support it, and it had to be declared that it would start next summer.

Whether my nation makes it, we can look forward to it as ever and we will be wondering what the fuss was with moving it, so it is the correct decision for me.

Should the cup competitions, including the European ones, take a back seat?

I am supporting the competitions happening, but you already have congestion. Liverpool played their kids in the FA Cup, because they wanted to play them? No. They had a fixture pile-up and wanted to win the Premier League.

Clubs often give fringe players opportunities, as this is the part of the slight demise of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Some of these smaller clubs have a bigger chance to win it, but they think more of survival. They still admire the cup competitions, but all leagues across the board become the priority.

We always want the underdog to get a good team, so they get a payday, that is what the cup competitions are all about, but these things have to sit in the backburner now.

How do we fit the league campaign in? How do we get a conclusion? That is the only question we need to answer. It is not difficult to chop and change in this scenario for me. The cups have to move aside to let the league come through.

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