The Premier League season, it appears, will be completed one way or another.
Even if it ends with Liverpool and Everton failing to kick another competitive ball until the next campaign.
Although Holland’s Eredivisie was scrapped on Friday after the Dutch government banned football until September, UEFA’s directive that European qualification berths should be decided on sporting merit has effectively hushed talk of the campaign in England being cancelled.
Quite whether that means the remaining 92 Premier League games are played remains very much dependent on the advice handed out by the UK government.
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If no further games are allowed, how best to conclude the season has now become a point for discussion.
Using a basic points-per-game system – where the average number of points won from current games played is used as the figure with which to rank clubs – has been widely cited as an option.
There is, though, a strong suggestion that would be unfair on teams who have more home games remaining than away ones, given most clubs have a better record in their own stadium.
Manchester City, for example, have six home games left, while Arsenal only have four on their own turf but six on the road.
Separating home and away points-per-game records and combining them to produce an overall tally seems a more sensible calculation.
How, then, would that affect the final Premier League standings?
Premier League final standings (using home/away points-per-game system)
1 Liverpool – 2.75 points per game (104 points overall)
2 Manchester City – 2.05 points (78)
3 Leicester City – 1.82 points (69)
4 Chelsea – 1.65 points (63)
5 Manchester United – 1.54 points (58)
6 Sheffield United – 1.53 points (58)
(Image: Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
7 Wolverhampton Wanderers – 1.48 points (56)
8 Tottenham Hotspur – 1.43 points (54)
9 Arsenal – 1.41 points (53)
10 Crystal Palace – 1.340 points (51)
11 Burnley – 1.337 points (51)
12 Everton – 1.29 points (49)
13 Newcastle United – 1.22 points (46)
14 Southampton – 1.19 points (45)
15 Brighton and Hove Albion – 1.01 points (38)
16 Watford – 0.94 points (36)
17 Bournemouth – 0.94 points (36)
18 West Ham United – 0.935 points (35)
19 Aston Villa – 0.92 points (35)
20 Norwich City – 0.74 points (28)
As expected, there is little change at the top, with the leading five remaining in the same place and Sheffield United leapfrogging Wolverhampton Wanderers for sixth place and a Europa League berth.
Liverpool would be confirmed champions with Everton staying in 12th place. Ahead of the Blues, Crystal Palace and Burnley exchange places by the narrowest of margins.
The real intrigue, though, is at the bottom of the table, where West Ham United slip into the relegation zone on the strength of their poor home record compared to their nearest rivals.
No wonder Karren Brady wants the season to be scrapped.
Final Premier League standings for Liverpool and Everton if UEFA plan decides season - Liverpool Echo
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