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Premier League: Winners and losers of a possible festive firebreak

  /  autty

The Premier League is approaching a crossroads and, on Monday, England's top tier will decide if the show can go on.

A spate of Covid outbreaks among a number of clubs has led to nine postponements over the past week, leading to calls for a 'firebreak' shutdown in which teams can combat the spread within their dressing rooms and return to action.

Top flight clubs are split over whether such a break should go ahead, with Brentford boss Thomas Frank stressing: 'Covid cases are going through the roof at all Premier League clubs, everyone is dealing with it and having problems.

'To postpone this round and also the Carabao Cup round would give everyone a week at least, or four or five days to clean and do everything at the training ground so everything is clean and you break the chain.'

The likes of Jurgen Klopp, Eddie Howe and Steve Parish have offered varying views on what should happen next, with Monday's summit expected to offer clarity with only five games going ahead this weekend.

While the health and safety of players, staff and their loved ones is paramount and the top priority, there is no escaping that some clubs will inevitably benefit more than others from a firebreak.

Here, Sportsmail takes a look at what a firebreak would mean for the title challengers, top four hopefuls and relegation strugglers.

Title challengers

Man City

The Premier League champions are flying. City were in seventh heaven on Tuesday night after putting seven goals past an injury-ravaged Leeds side to register their seventh straight league victory and maintain their lead at the top of the table.

Pep Guardiola's side have not reported any positive Covid cases yet, although the City boss returned an 'inconclusive' test on Friday after a trip to Barcelona, leading to the cancellation of his pre-Newcastle press conference.

An outbreak in City's women's side caused their League Cup game against Leicester to be postponed, and Guardiola has implored his stars to take all the precautions necessary during this difficult period, while De Bruyne can provide a first-hand insight into the physical effects of Covid.

'I'm concerned about Covid because it is in society and some of the staff here have it right now,' he said. 'I tell the players to wear masks and be careful.'

A firebreak would certainly stunt their progress, but the sheer quality that Guardiola has at his disposal means the champions would surely hit the ground running whenever the pause would come to an end.

Liverpool

The Reds, like City, are in sensational form. Thursday's 3-1 win over Newcastle was their sixth league victory in succession, putting the former champions within one point of Pep Guardiola's side.

Jurgen Klopp's hopefuls have been affected by the rise in Covid cases, though. Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones all missed the win over the Magpies with suspected Covid.

However, the German believes there is no 'massive benefit' to calling a halt to games, with the virus still likely to wreak havoc after a short break.

'It was not cool to get the information this morning the boys were not available but knowing they are all vaccinated means they will be fine after however many days they isolate,' he said. 'Players' and people's welfare is the most important thing at the moment.

'I know Thomas Frank said he thinks it would be the right thing to stop the league, I don't see the massive benefit as we come back and the virus is still the same.'

As long as the health of players can be protected, Liverpool should want to continue.

Chelsea

Two wins in their last five league games has seen Thomas Tuchel's Blues slip from top spot to third, where they trail leaders Manchester City by four points. A lack of creativity has been a concern among Chelsea fans, with the European champions unable to see off a weak Everton side at Stamford Bridge.

Like Liverpool, the Blues have suffered their own Covid disruption. Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner all missed Thursday's game after testing positive.

A firebreak, and the chance to dissect Chelsea's recent form, may benefit the west Londoners, although Tuchel has said any questions surrounding the postponement of games have been dealt with by club chiefs Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia.

'I don't lose my concentration or energy with questions like this,' the former PSG and Borussia Dortmund boss said.

'I'm pretty sure Petr [Cech] and Marina [Granovskaia] take care of this.'

Top four hopefuls

Arsenal

The Gunners have bounced back from defeats at United and Everton to register back-to-back wins to propel them into the top four. Arsenal are not hindered by the current rise in cases, although they were hit by an outbreak in August.

The north Londoners are beginning to hit their stride, too, with youngsters Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe delighting fans during their win over West Ham on Wednesday. Although health is the top priority, Arteta may rue a firebreak, having criticised the league's 'vague' postponement policy.

Asked if a strict number of Covid cases is required in the Premier League, Arteta said: 'I'm saying that would be really, really helpful. I think it is [too vague] because you don't know when you have to play and when you don't and we have some examples about that.

'The decision has to be made first of all to protect the players and the environment and after obviously we need to maintain certain criteria so all the clubs are competing can compete in the same conditions. That's it. But for me the most important thing is health.'

West Ham

A few days to reflect may be welcomed by West Ham. The Irons' performance against Arsenal was deemed not good enough for a top-four side by Declan Rice, and they duly slipped out of the Champions League places.

David Moyes' side have not been hit by Omicron yet, although the Scot has claimed that the top flight's hectic schedule has contributed to the concerning rise in cases.

'I think the amount of games and the close proximity is not helping football players or staff, whether it be travel or whatever,' he said, 'I really think that's playing a part of it as well.'

The Hammers have had to contend with a busy fixture schedule this year, owing to their Europa League commitments. A chance to reset before tackling the rest of the campaign would be of benefit to the East Londoners.

Man United

The Red Devils have been decimated by Covid. Ralf Rangnick's side have seen their games against Brentford and Brighton postponed with the club having only seven players available for the visit of the Seagulls.

United have won their last three league games, albeit in an unconvincing fashion as Rangnick looks to implement his pressing style on his under-performing squad.

Time on the training ground would surely be welcomed by the German, yet United's Carrington training complex is currently closed until Tuesday at the earliest as the club attempts to limit further transmission of the virus.

The finer details of a firebreaker are not yet known, but Rangnick is desperate to improve his players' fitness and understanding of his tactical approach so time spent in isolation may hamper those plans.

Tottenham

Just when Antonio Conte was beginning to stamp his mark on his Tottenham side, the north Londoners suffered a Covid outbreak.

Spurs were the first Premier League club to be hit by Omicron, with games against Rennes and Brighton postponed due to a number of cases that totalled double figures, Their midweek clash with Leicester was also postponed.

The Champions League hopefuls had registered back-to-back wins against Leeds and Brentford prior to the outbreak and had shown signs of defensive rigidity that has long been amiss in north London. Any lost time on the training ground would certainly be viewed as a setback by the Italian.

Conte - who had previously said that football was not on his mind amid his club's outbreak -  has warned that a Covid-induced absence from training could have long-term ramifications on the fitness of players.

'I think is the big problem that we must be [prepared] to face in the future,' he said. 'To bring these players affected by COVID to be fit and avoid injuries. This could be the big problem in the future, not the 10 days.

'After 10 days you have players available but then you have to pay attention to the way to train, whether the body is ready to work in a good way. You have to pay attention, moderate the training to avoid injuries. This is the big problem, not only for Tottenham but for other clubs with COVID-hit players.'

Relegation strugglers

Leeds

Marcelo Bielsa's side are currently reeling from a humiliating 7-0 loss to Manchester City in midweek, with Leeds' defensive frailties coming under scrutiny during their mauling at the Etihad.

The resolute Argentine will surely want to get back onto the pitch as soon as possible to rectify that performance, but his injury-ravaged squad may benefit from a firebreaker to allow their stars to heal.

Kalvin Phillips, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk, Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo have all been sidelined with various muscular problems. The Yorkshire club are yet to be affected by a Covid outbreak, but Bielsa will be wary that the spread of virus could further weaken his side.

Watford

The Hornets' sublime 4-1 win over Manchester United last month has been followed by a run of four defeats on the trot, leaving Claudio Ranieri's strugglers just hovering above the drop zone.

Watford have been hit by the virus, with an unknown number of cases forcing their training ground to be closed and their crunch clash with Burnley to be called off. Saturday's visit of Crystal Palace has also been postponed as the club continue to battle with their outbreak.

Ranieri confirmed that 'nearly everyone in the club is vaccinated' and that further postponements will be 'very, very sad'.

A firebreaker would allow the club to get a grip of their virus troubles and give Ranieri a squad with a full bill of health to continue through the season.

Burnley

Sean Dyche's side have drawn four of their last five games and are chipping away at the points deficit to 17th-placed Watford.

The Clarets have not reported any Covid cases amid this current rise, but were impacted by the postponement of their game against Watford - announced just three hours before kick off.

Dyche has long been hampered by a lack of investment at Turf Moor and has had to contend with a threadbare squad in recent seasons. A circuit-breaker, then, may seem appealing, but the Burnley boss has expressed reluctance at the prospect of a firebreaker.

'Is there a golden rule that if we call this week off, next week we will all be clear? There isn't any golden rule to it,' he said.

'I get the idea of trying to break the pattern and going through the training ground and re-cleansing everywhere, like we have had to do many times, but that is an ongoing thing.

'I understand his [Frank's] point, it is not easy. Health and welfare is above everything, we all know that.'

Newcastle

Eddie Howe's arrival has injected a feel-good factor at Newcastle, but there can be no hiding from the fact that they need a turnaround in results and performances to escape the drop.

The Magpies were on the receiving end of confidence-sapping defeats by Leicester and Liverpool and are desperate for the January window to open in order to strengthen their squad. Atletico Madrid star Kieran Trippier has been strongly linked.

The length of a firebreak is not yet known, but should it last until the new year, it would mean Newcastle would miss games against Manchester United and Everton, allowing them to play those games with players they would not have had before the window opened.

Howe, though, says that the postponement of games would make the competition 'unfair'.

'The league really loses something if it becomes disjointed in terms of games played,' Howe said on Friday. 'When you start losing players to Covid then the worry is the competition becomes slightly unfair and I don't think anyone wants to see that.

'A decision needs to be made to ensure integrity is maintained in the competition. I think it is on a knife edge.'

Norwich

Dean Smith's arrival saw a rejuvenation in spirits at Carrow Road, but no wins in five games has resulted in the Canaries slipping back to the bottom of the table.

Norwich have had their fair share of Covid issues. Josh Sargent, Lukas Rupp and Pierre Lees-Melou were absent from the squad that lost to Aston Villa in midweek for 'Covid-related' reasons, but while Christos Tzolis is the only confirmed player to test positive, more positive test results have been returned.

Their game against West Ham has been postponed as a result of an 'insufficient' number of players available, and Smith, like Arteta, appealed to the Premier League for a 'magic number for how many players need to be unavailable for a game to be postponed' amid their assessment of each request on a case-by-case basis.

A firebreak, then, would allow Norwich to regroup and come back ready to set about the unlikely task of surviving the drop.