Football finally returned on Saturday as the Bundesliga resumed following a two-month hiatus.Fans of the sport from all around the world tuned in to watch Dortmund demolish Schalke at Signal Iduna Park.Erling Haaland, Raphaël Guerreiro (2) and Thorgan Hazard all found themselves on the scoresheet as Der BVB ran out comfortable 4-0 victors.The coronavirus pandemic meant that the game was very different to how it normally was, though.The game was played behind closed doors, with no fans in attendance.That meant that there was little atmosphere inside the ground, with viewers able to hear every word said by both sets of players.Substitutes were also forced to sit two metres away from each other and players weren't allowed to celebrate together.All these factors have led to criticism from some football fans, including Piers Morgan.
The TV presenter and Arsenal fan took to Twitter after watching a portion of the Dortmund vs Schalke game.And he accused it of not being enjoyable and told the Premier League not to bother returning."I watched a bit of the Dortmund match," he wrote. "Felt like a glorified practice game, though less physical, & lack of a crowd massively reduced the enjoyment factor for me."If the Premier League returns like this, it’s not going to be real football - so why bother?"
"If the football’s all going to be as lame as this, the integrity of the existing season is gone anyway," he said in another tweet.
GIVEMESPORT'S JAMES STROUD SAYS:
I'm sorry, Piers, but I disagree. You're entitled to an opinion and I respect that.
However, to say that it felt like a 'glorified practice game' was a bit much.
Despite the gulf in class between both teams, you could tell that both sides were giving it their all and that it meant something.
The only thing that was massively different is the lack of a crowd. Yes, fans in the stadium creates the atmosphere and does make the sport easier to watch.
But fans don't watch football so they can hear fans inside the stadium. We watch the sport to see the best players in the world showcase their talents.
And that's exactly what the Dortmund game provided. Yes, it wasn't the same, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable to watch.
So to say that the Premier League shouldn't return simply because it won't be enjoyable is just plain wrong.
If the rules are exactly the same as in the Bundesliga, it should be more than good enough to watch.
Any football is better than no football at all, that's for sure.