Should Arsenal be complaining about fixture congestion?

Should Arsenal be complaining about fixture congestion?


By  Ben Willcocks
Mikel Arteta voiced his frustration towards the Premier League ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Villa Park on Saturday, forced to navigate three fixtures in seven days.
Having faced Leicester last Sunday, Liverpool on the Wednesday and Aston Villa on the Saturday, Arteta was dismayed to discover that the Premier League had rescheduled another short turnaround in April, which will see Arsenal play Chelsea and Manchester United in the space of a few days.
Ahead of the weekend kick-off, the Spaniard said sarcastically: “Thank you so much to the Premier League to do that.
“They’ve done it again when we have to play Chelsea and Manchester United, so if they want to give them any advantage, I say to them today: ‘Thank you so much for doing that’.
“Don’t worry the players on Saturday they will be there, with energy. They will eat, sleep well, but thank you so much to the Premier League for putting the fixtures like this. Very, very helpful.
“It’s nothing new to me, but I’m not complaining about Europe, I’m complaining about the Premier League and how you schedule games in the Premier League.
“When you are in Europe it’s a different story. What I’m comparing is the Premier League and it’s very difficult.”

Does he have a point?

The Premier League and the hunt for Champions League qualification remains Arsenal’s sole concern for the remainder of the season, unlike top-four chasers West Ham who remain in the Europa League knockout stages also.
Compare that to Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea – who are each juggling the FA Cup and Champions League alongside Premier League fixtures – and suddenly Arteta’s complaints seem somewhat artificial.
To argue the Gunners are not receiving the same preferential treatment as their competitors is a hard story to sell, as almost all Premier League clubs – particularly those who have, like Arsenal, had to rearrange a handful of fixtures due to COVID-19 postponements – have been forced to navigate short turnarounds by the league.
However, Arteta’s dissatisfaction towards fixture congestion has been vociferously echoed by the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola in relation to their own clubs, proving the Arsenal manager is not alone in this debate.
Aside from the unpredictable nature of postponements this campaign, the Premier League have had little flexibility in extending the season beyond May 22, due to Qatar World Cup in November.
The rise in international fixtures next year will undoubtedly take its toll, and the Premier League is keen to give the players a full summer’s rest before restarting the league on August 6.
Although the Premier League is shackled to finish the season on time, the growing concern amongst top managers is that players are not being sufficiently protected, which could present a high and unmanageable number of injuries towards the end of the season.
But overall, Arteta’s plea for sympathy is unlikely to welcome much support amongst neutrals – perhaps it’s instead a sign that the Spaniard needs to bolster the squad in the summer.

Photo Credit: Getty Images 


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