Bundesliga Resumes its Season, an Update on the League So Far

The coronavirus pandemic has literally brought the world to a standstill. In the football world, games had to be canceled, and everyone locked down in virtually every country. Seemingly, after months of lockdown, we are beginning to adjust to a new normal.

Well, theBundesliga is the first top flight soccer league to follow suit back to the new normal. The league has finally resumed its season at last! Albeit, there are a stringent set of social distancing rules and no fans in the stadium. The beauty is we are back to enjoying some football back on our TV screens!

When did the games resume

The green light for the first set of matches was set for Saturday, 16th May, after approval from Angel Markel and the German government.

This follows a suspension issued around mid-march by the government to suspend all football games owing to the coronavirus pandemic. With most teams having around nine games left, it is only understandable that the league has tried to find a way to somehow end the season.

Bayern Munich on course to win the Bundesliga 2019/2020 season

FC Bayern Munich is the team that is currently sitting on the driving seat in the Bundesliga title race, holding the lead over Borussia Dortmund. BVB were on the driving seat earlier on in the season but they have struggled as the season progressed meaning perennial champs in Bayern managed to claw back to the top after a dismal start. There is a tight competition for European spots between the likes of Monchengladbach, RB Leipzig, and Bayer Leverkusen. Leipzig have done particularly well this season in the UCL progressing to the Quarter Finals for the first time after blowing out Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspurs in the 2^nd round.

Things are not looking so good for the likes of Dusseldorf, Werder, Paderborn and Mainz who are in a tight race to avoid relegation from the top flight.

What is to be expected for the remainder of the season?

To date, there is no vaccine for Coronavirus, and many countries worldwide continue to battle the pandemic. State governments have put in place measures including quarantine and stay at home to combat the virus. In fact, other than the economic survival for many clubs in Germany, the green light to resume the games was only issued after a significant drop of COVID -19 new cases in Germany. Good news, right? Sadly this doesn't mean you can watch the game in the stadiums yet. Empty stadiums will continue to be the norm for the rest of the season. For now, you can catch up with the games at the comfort of your home. On the other hand, it is not all rosy and normal for the players. They have to undergo rigorous tests and are only allowed to play after a significant quarantine test in the form of training camps.

Below are some of the changes you will see in the field.

• No children will accompany players in the field.
• No contact between rivals in the tunnel before the games.
• Only three hundred essential staff will be allowed to the stadium.
• There will be no group celebrations after a game.
• No team photos will be taken before kick-off
• All Substitute players will wear their masks and sit apart.

Game analysis post-COVID- 19: Anything different?

Well, some things have changed while others have remained pretty much the same. On things that are different, not having fans has definitely changed the game. Watching the game, you will notice that goal celebrations don't take as long as on a normal game. Why? Because there are no fans to cheer of course! As in the case of a foul, looking at how the game continues immediately after a player gets up, makes you appreciate the presence of fans. The fans' reactions and the player's protests make it the beautiful game as we know it!

When will the season be complete?

Bundesliga hopes to complete the season on June 27 and 28th. It is only then that DFL will announce whether it will allow five substitutions rather than three for the remainder of the campaign. Just stay tuned and find out what will transpire for the remainder of the Bundesliga season..

Wrapping up

The beautiful game has suffered a lot following the COVID-19 outbreak that has spread around the globe. On a positive note though we have some Bundesliga football action back under a new norm. Sadly, there will likely be no electric atmosphere that is synonymous with the league for the foreseeable future. All in all, it is great to have soccer action back!

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