Valerien Ismael against the idea of a COVID circuit breaker in English football
West Brom manager Valerien Ismael does not believe there is a need for a circuit breaker in English football amid an increasing number of Covid-19 outbreaks at clubs.
Albion had four players missing against Reading last Saturday (11 December) due to Covid-19, while tomorrow’s (17 December) opponents Barnsley have had a positive test this week.
With multiple games in the Premier League and EFL being called off, Brentford boss Thomas Frank has proposed a postponement of all matches until Boxing Day.
However, Ismael has suggested that he is not on board with this idea.
“I think at the minute we are able to play,” the West Brom boss said [Birmingham World].
“I think you need to take the games case by case. I think we can’t stop all around just because two or three teams struggle.
“Yes, when you’ve got an outbreak you need to make sure you avoid the spread of the virus so you need to take the right decision but if it’s only two or three isolated cases and you can get the things under control – there’s no reason with all the measures in place that you cannot carry on with the league.
“Last week it was a completely different situation with us because it was an outbreak but I think we managed it well regardless.
“Now we are in a better position when you compare for the last week. I think you need to see case by case.”
Worrying trend
You can understand why Ismael holds this opinion considering how well West Brom managed the Covid-19 outbreak in their squad last week.
Matt Clarke, Semi Ajayi, Conor Townsend and Cedric Kipre all tested positive for the virus and were unable to play against Reading, leaving Albion with a makeshift backline, but they still came away with a 1-0 victory.
Ismael will also feel his team are beginning to build some momentum now having won their last two matches; they will feel confident against 23rd-place Barnsley on Friday too.
However, with four Championship fixtures this weekend already called off, following four postponements in the Premier League over the last week, there is a worrying trend beginning to emerge.
If both teams involved in a fixture are able to put out a team then of course there are grounds for the match to go ahead, but could this be more detrimental further down the line?
More developments are expected over the next few days.
In other West Brom news, Albion must do everything they can to keep hold of this “fantastic” player in January.
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