THE football world has come to a standstill because of coronavirus.
Our favourite leagues are on hiatus, and it’s left fans of the beautiful game anxious as to what to do next.
With no matches until at least April 3 because of coronavirus, football fans will be missing the beautiful gameCredit: PA:Press Association
But fear not, because SunSport has some novel ways you can get your football fix that should keep you busy until April 3, when the Premier League is set to return.
From video games to classic YouTube clips to brilliant podcasts, here’s how you’ll beat the blues of knowing Match of the Day is still being replaced by Mrs Brown’s Boys in Saturday’s TV schedule.
GAMING
With no football on the telly, now you’ve got more time on your hands to load up FIFA 20 and get your perfect Ultimate Team.
You can even play a full Premier League season with your favourite side, just in case the real season isn’t completed.
One for Liverpool fans, methinks, so they can see a trophy being lifted digitally.
And even the pros are at it too. Brilliantly, Leyton Orient sent out an invite to clubs around the world on Twitter for a 128-team tournament.
The likes of Man City, Wolves and Feyenoord are among teams showing interest in the “Ultimate QuaranTeam”.
And for those who have a more studious football brain, there’s always Football Manager 2020.
Take control of a club, mastermind tactics, press conferences and man-management to guide them to victory.
Barcelona superstar Antoine Griezmann is a fan, and regularly posts pictures of himself playing the game on social media.
You can bet alongside getting a home workout, the former Atletico Madrid forward is tinkering with his formation right now.
Fans and footballers will be playing FIFA 20 while in quarantine
Leyton Orient invited clubs to participate in a FIFA 20 tournament
Football Manager 2020 is another game that can cure your footy fix
Barcelona superstar Antoine Griezmann is a fan of the Football Manager seriesCredit: FFF TV
STREAM
With Netflix, Amazon, and BBC iPlayer at our finger tips, if you’re stuck at home in self-isolation you needn’t worry about entertainment.
There are tons of footy documentaries that can be streamed if you are pining for the beautiful game.
The brilliant Sunderland ‘Till I Die on Netflix has been around since 2018, and documents the spectacular collapse of The Black Cats, including back-to-back relegations from the Premier League and the Championship.
On the other end of the scale is Amazon’s All or Nothing: Manchester City doc which takes us behind the scenes of their 2017-18 season, when they romped to the Premier League title and Carabao Cup.
Take Us Home: Leeds United (also Amazon) is another that chronicles a fallen giant, desperate to get back into the Premier League.
From spy-gate to play-off heartbreak, it’s all there. Leeds fans might need some tissues to watch it, mind, due to the unhappy ending.
There’s also notable mentions for Ronaldo, Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager (Netflix), the awesome Take The Ball Pass The Ball (Amazon) and the recent Greavsie on BT Player.
Netflix’s Sunderland ‘Till I Die is a must-watch for all football fans
Man City fans will take pleasure in watching their Amazon documentary
While Leeds fans can reminisce on what might’ve been last season
YOUTUBE
On YouTube you can find a plethora of football clips and videos to cheer up your day.
From scouring the web, we found a selection of tasty treats that’ll keep you more than occupied during these next few weeks.
A purveyor of the fine passing skills of Denmark and Barcelona legend Michael Laudrup? Of course you are, and YouTube has his ultimate passing collection.
Manchester United fans can also be treated to an eight hour video of ALL of their first 2,000 Premier League goals.
Then there’s a 50-minute video of all of Leo Messi’s goals too.
Not satisfied yet? Then you can watch classic matches from yesteryear in their full, including England versus Germany at the 1990 World Cup, Brazil’s destruction of Italy in 1970, and the classic FA Cup semi-final from 1999 between Manchester United and Arsenal.
LISTEN
If TalkSport isn’t giving you enough sports debate, why not get into footie podcasts?
That Peter Crouch Podcast offers fans a quirky take on how to be a professional footballer.
Episodes include tales of what goes on in the dressing room to transfers and more hilarious stories from football’s most likeable personality.
If it’s irreverent chat you’re after, please download the comic genius of Athletico Mince.
Chaired by Bob Mortimer and Andy Dawson, it offers a humorous take on the football world, including one bizarre discussion if footie managers would benefit from being more gentle to succeed in the Premier League.
More, we hear you say? The Times’ The Game Football podcast, The Totally Football Show with James Richardson, The Big Interview with Graham Hunter and The Football Ramble are all ace too.
That Peter Crouch Podcast is worth a listen during the coronavirus hiatus
Bob Mortimer and Andy Dawson’s Athletico Mince offers laughs a plenty
DUST OFF THE SUBBUTEO KIT
Probably lurking in the deepest and darkest corners of your loft is the classic table football game, Subbuteo.
With a flick of the finger, you can recreate all the action you’re missing at home.
Unbelievably, Subbuteo was invented all the way back in 1947 by Peter Adolph, after he was demobbed by the Royal Air Force.
He was inspired by the first table footie game, NewFooty that had been made by William Lane Keeling in 1929.
To this day, fans of the game collect classic teams from all over the world and gather at collectors’ fairs.
Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon is also an avid fan, once claiming he has 500 teams in his collection.
He even appeared in a Subbuteo advert in Italy in 2012.
Dust off your Subbuteo kit and get playing during the coronavirus crisisCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
READ
If you’ve watched, played, and listened to something footie-related – there’s only one more thing left to aid your football fix… yes, read!
Although this is only a small selection in the library of football literature, these are the most recent to have peaked our interest.
Peter Crouch gets an honourable mention for the second instalment of his I, Robot How to be a Footballer series.
For a fascinating and honest read, Mark Bright: From Foster Care to Footballer chronicles the life of the Crystal Palace legends’ rise.
Mark Bright’s book is a brutally honest read
Matt Jansen’s autobiography is a tale of what could’ve been
Matt Jansen: What Was, What Is, and What Might Have Been also details how he was top of the world before a cruel accident on holiday robbed him of his talents and dream move to Manchester United.
And if you’re after a football book with a twist, Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football follows ‘fake footballer’ Carlos Kaiser, who conned a living out of the game.
Surely that does it now?
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Prem plan to play all 92 remaining games behind closed doors at neutral grounds on live TV amid coronavirus outbreak
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
