He follows the subject carefully. And do not lose a crumb of its position as a multi-cap consultant (TF1, RTL, L'Équipe), even if the news of the moment is less dense than usual. The possible resumption of Ligue 1 is one of the subjects of reflection for Bixente Lizarazu, confined to his native Basque Country with his wife and daughter. “Every morning, I do my press review and I follow what's going on between the calendar stories, wage cuts or small controversies between the different actors. "
All fresh and salient fifty years (he had them last December), which occupies his confinement between sports sessions, gardening, storage, family life and resumption of the guitar, remains like all football lovers: waiting a clear and precise outcome. At a time when procrastations are increasing between the Professional Football League, broadcasters and club presidents, unable to agree.
General blur
A certainty animates it in this general vagueness. “We cannot imagine football matches with people in the stadiums, we must not dream. Even in mid-July, I can hardly believe it with everything that's going on right now. And the former player of the Blues, Bordeaux, Bayern or Bilbao and OM to advance a first track in case of recovery. “If there is a deconfinement by region, why not imagine matches in certain regions of France and not in others? The notion of playing at home is almost worth nothing behind closed doors. You have your habits in your stadium and on your lawn, the rest ... ”Allusion which echoes in particular the reflections of the English on the subject. The latter came up with the idea of renting the Wembley stadium and playing several games there to avoid the risk of the Covid-19 spreading.
“The priority of priorities is to end the season so that we can start again on the 2020-2021 fiscal year under roughly normal conditions. "
Well aware of the economic obligations and the difficulties of Ligue 1 clubs in the event of the championship not being resumed, Bixente Lizarazu recognizes that "the priority of priorities is to end the season so that we can start again in the 2020-2021 financial year in almost normal conditions ”, before advancing a timetable in the event of progressive deconfinement by May 11, date announced by the President of the Republic Monday evening. “If we start on this, it takes at least four weeks of preparation for the players. This is the minimum to avoid breakage. Even with that, you are not in top form. If you play matches every three days, it's tense. If you resume training on May 15, the competition in mid-June and you finished your championship at the end of July. In the best case. "
The health of the game masters
At the end of the thread, the old left side submits an idea. "Why not chain the two seasons? And reveals his arguments. “Have the players prepare for five weeks, finish the current exercise for a month and a half, and then continue the next season in stride. A solution which would have the merit of promoting the health of the masters of the game. An obligation in his eyes today. "If behind the recovery, you put a break for a month in August, the players' bodies will no longer understand anything. I am in favor of finding a fair compromise between efficiency and respect for the physical integrity of the players. We can't make them do anything. "
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A scenario that would offer an XXL calendar with the Euro at the end, postponed to the summer of 2021 (June 11-July 11) due to the coronavirus. "It would be the sweetest solution in my eyes and the prospect of a crazy season," he points out with this desire for protection pegged to the bodies of his ex-counterparts.
"The person who explains to me that the guys have trained and that in two weeks they can replay, I say no. Breakage must be avoided. "
When one replies to him that such a scenario seems difficult to envisage with the summer transfer window, long awaited and lucrative for the clubs, his answer fuse. “We cannot solve all the problems. It's impossible. Who says exceptional situation, says exceptional effort. The priority is the physical integrity of the players. Today, they have been doing odd jobs in their garden or in their gym for a month. You do not have the emulation with your partners, the pressure of the medical and technical staff, a whole context around you which drives you to performance. The person explaining to me that the guys have trained and that in two weeks they can replay, I say no. Breakage must be avoided. "
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Just as he also imagines a tighter format with the European Cups, including Paris SG - already qualified in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and Lyon - awaiting its 8th final return against Juventus - are the last French representatives. "Why not a final tournament with eight teams over a week and dry matches, it seems to me impossible to resume on a classic format. "
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