'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After an absence of over two months, La Liga Santander is set to make a return in just under a week. The Spanish top-flight, much like the other top European football leagues, was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March.
Amidst fears that the season could be rendered null and void, it was announced towards the end of May that La Liga does plan to finish the season. The league is set to kick-off with the iconic Seville Derby contested between Real Betis and Sevilla on June 11.
Ahead of the much-anticipated restart, La Liga hosted a virtual press conference featuring former Sevilla star and La Liga Ambassador Frédéric Kanouté. The forward delivered fascinating insights on playing football under such precarious and unprecedented circumstances.
Trending
'Players will give their very best on the pitch'
The idea of playing football in an empty stadium is a strange one. There have been many questions raised regarding how the lack of supporters in a stadium could impact the mindset of the players. More so, about whether it could potentially affect the performances of the players. However, La Liga Ambassador Kanouté commented that this doesn't necessarily have to be the case. He said;
"They are professional footballers, so the performance is going to be the same. Obviously there's going to be a little mental effect on that because you like to have your fans."
Kanouté went on to say that despite the lack of fans in the stadium, we could still expect top performances from the players. He continued;
"I feel the performance will still be top, because the lack of fans will be compensated by the level of desire and motivation of coming back to the pitch. The players have been waiting for this moment for so long and they will give their very best on the pitch, I'm sure."
The former La Liga player also went on to state the importance of delivering regardless of the challenging circumstances that the players may face. He added;
"When you are a professional footballer you have to deliver anyway. We (footballers) are training everyday without the fans, play friendlies without fans, and so on. Of course, it isn't the same level of competition compared to we play in front of fans in official games. Still, we used to deliver a high level of performance not only because of the fans but because we are professional footballers and it is a duty to deliver anyway."
'5 substitutions rule could favour Barça, Real in La Liga'
Ahead of the return of football, FIFA proposed a change of rule which could see teams make five substitutions in a match as "temporary dispensation." There are 110 fixtures congested into six weeks of football action, and the proposed rule could help ease the burden on players due to this cramped fixture list.
Kanouté believes that this new rule could benefit La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Clásico clubs' squads are stacked with quality players who could help them rotate and rest their key players. The La Liga Ambassador said in the press conference;
"We have to be honest that big teams have a bigger squad. It means like not 16 players but 25 top players that can rotate and performance doesn't change much. So of course this is an advantage especially in this time where it's going to require a lot of rotation."
The 42-year-old recollected a season from his Sevilla days where having a relatively thin squad cost the team. He remarked that the unpredictability of the sport could play a part as anything could happen on the pitch. The La Liga Ambassador continued;
"But as I said, I always believe football is played on the field, 11 vs 11. But it doesn''t change generally. We remember in 2006-07 when we were close to winning the league, towards the end we got tired as we didn't have too many rotations available. We could not maintain the same rhythm. There were so many competitions also. So it''s not always a precise science and in football anything is possible."
However, Kanouté hopes that Real Madrid and Barcelona will face a challenge in the business end of the league season.
"I hope they (Real and Barça) are going to be challenged for the last few games and I hope Sevilla will tickle them a little bit but they will have a slight advantage."
The French-Malian footballer was one of the most successful La Liga forwards in recent years. Apart from a fruitful seven-year spell with Sevilla, the La Liga Ambassador also had spells in the English Premier League with West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Defending Spanish champions Barcelona will look to solidify their two-point lead at the top of the table. Firece rivals Real Madrid sit in second place and would hope to reclaim the La Liga title from the Catalan giants.
