Would be fair to crown Liverpool as Premier League winners, admits Ilkay Gundogan
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Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan believes that if the Premier League season is unable to resume and continue, it would be fair to declare Liverpool the winners. The Reds were two victories shy of mathematically winning the title, but the campaign was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Football in Europe stands suspended till the late April, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen Europe take action to prevent the spread. Various league authorities have scheduled meetings for the first week of April to consider the possibilities of extending this stalemate. With clubs from the English top flight set to met, via video conference, with the PFA, the FA and the league authorities with the likelihood of a further extension almost certain.Â
Meanwhile, Liverpool are still coming to terms with the possibility that the season may well be declared “null and void”. They were about to end their 30 year drought in style, but the coronavirus outbreak has complicated things. Amidst the chaos, Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan has admitted that he would be fine if their arch rivals Liverpool were to be crowned as league champions. He also added that should restart take a long time, rendering the season void would be harsh.
“For me, that would be OK, yes. You have to be fair as a sportsperson. There are different opinions. For clubs who have had a very good season, it obviously wouldn't be nice if it was cancelled now. On the other hand, for clubs who aren't doing as well and are maybe in the relegation places, an abandonment would obviously suit them," Gundogan told ZDF.
Pep Guardiola and the Sky Blues have had a very underwhelming campaign. The defending champions are 2nd to Jurgen Klopp’s side in the league, but by an unrecoverable margin of 25 points. However, amidst the crisis, the league and the English clubs need to do whatever they need to do and that includes wage cuts with the former Borussia Dortmund star open to a temporary wage cut.
“Of course I think it's OK, that goes without saying - there's ben no discussion in England yet," he added.
