The Premier League season is over. Now what?
This post was originally shared on May 19, 2023.
The epic Championship Sunday has just come and gone,
and the summertime sadness has swiftly set in. Although the thrill and turmoil of having ten simultaneous matches will get me through the next week, I think we all may be asking ourselves: now what?
Thankfully, we can ease into the transition with huge matches over the next two weekends: we have the FA cup final, a Manchester Derby, on May 25th . And of course, the Champions League Final, on June 1st, between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. Both matches will be hosted at Wembley.
On their heels, we have a huge tournament taking place in Germany this summer, the UEFA 2024 Euros. Not only will there be matches almost every day for a month, we can tune into the squad selection. Regulation has recently increased team size from from a 23 players o 26, making room for a few that did not make the cut. (Have you been saved, Marcus Rashford?!) There will be league rivals that will play together as countrymen, and league teammates that will now face-off head to head. We will get training photos, and team bonding moments. This is one of my favorites. Antonio Rudiger is a stellar follow, btw.
The tournament runs from June 14th to July 14th. If European national teams aren’t for you, we also have the Copa America, World Cup Qualifiers, and the wild world of the MLS.
Now, if you are like me, and enjoy football news of any variety, you might also take interest in a few other delights the summer brings.
One of the strangest phenomenons that occurs is the very bizarre appetizer we are served with many finals and competitions - musical performances. I will never forget when I went to watch the 2021 Champions League final and was utterly confused and consumed with the sight of Marshmello and Khalid singing on a boat?
We have already been gifted what UEFA teased us as “the heartbeat and soundtrack of the summer.”* A completely boring collaboration between Medusa, OneRepublic, and Leony, with their song “FIRE.” Thankfully, we will be able to see them all jumping around together live as part of the Euro’s closing ceremony on July 14th. There will be a different musical performance during the Euro’s opening ceremony. But who?
I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see who will open the Champions League Final this year.
If you follow your favorite players on social media, I almost guarantee you will soon be seeing vacation photos, often involving a yacht and poor wardrobe choices. Or just wholesome family photos of players with their many mini-me’s.
Summertime is prime time for players to test out new hairstyles and get tattoos of their accomplishments. Did they win a trophy? Why yes, they will tattoo it on their calf.
Perhaps for camaraderie's sake they will dye their hair bleach blonde with their teammates when season training starts back up again.
If the social media stalking doesn’t speak to you, the drama contained in the transfer window will provide immense entertainment. Or maybe you're into the legal side of things? We have teams facing hundreds of charges for breaches and financial wrongdoing. And if want more talking points about VAR, the Premier League team general meeting takes place on June 6th, where they will vote if VAR is to remain in…or be out.
In truth, we all know football rarely rests and the news cycle will churn out enough content to keep us busy. But who can blame us for feeling low when
