La Liga’s season could be played out between Alfredo Di Stefano and Johan Cruyff if Barcelona join Real Madrid in playing their remaining fixtures in the stadium of their B-team.
Barca will consider playing their remaining LaLiga fixtures at the 6,000 capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium if Madrid go ahead with plans to play at the 6,000 capacity Alfredo Di Stefano stadium.
Both clubs feel that the psychological effect on players of playing without fans could be limited by playing in smaller arenas.
And both B-team arenas are also inside the two clubs’ huge training complexes, which means that if LaLiga insist on players and staff being in quarantine during the playing out of their remaining 11 fixtures then players could stay on-site.
Both clubs would need to install VAR facilities in their ‘new’ homes before the first game back.
And Barcelona could have more difficulty than Real Madrid if they decide to move because UEFA have to sanction any change of stadium midway through the season.
Real Madrid have good reason to make their proposed move because work has already started on the renovation of the Santiago Bernabeu and the club would find it difficult to host matches in their 80,000-seater ground through the summer.
Barcelona are also renovating their stadium but progress is nowhere near as advanced with their Espai Barca project on hold pending an new referendum of supporters as to whether to accept the costing of the renovation.
Former Barcelona player and coach Carles Rexach said in his Mundo Deportivo column on Tuesday:
‘The Johan Cruyff stadium would be a magnificent alternative to minimise the impact of the cold spacious stands [of an empty Nou Camp]. Having just a few people in the smaller stadium can make it feel less empty.’
This makes perfect sense. It will be so strange for players to play in these giant empty cathedrals of football. Playing in a smaller stadium should reduce player anxiety and increase performance. What do you think of this idea?
