Mikel Arteta’s Complaint: Does He Have a Point?
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, is not pleased with the festive fixture list this season. After the Gunners played Brentford on Wednesday evening, they are expected to travel to Aston Villa for a 12:30 GMT kick-off on Saturday. This quick turnaround has left Arteta feeling frustrated. He believes the Villa fixture should have been scheduled for Sunday to provide his team with additional rest. However, Arteta’s complaints may fall on deaf ears, as only teams who play away in Europe on a Wednesday night can opt out of the Saturday lunchtime TV slot. December is notoriously busy for Premier League clubs, with a midweek round of matches, the festive programme, European fixtures, and the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. So, who has the most grueling run of fixtures in this five-week period leading up to the first weekend of January?
Crystal Palace: The Hardest Hit
Crystal Palace is arguably the team with the most arduous fixture list. The final two rounds of the Conference League are played on consecutive Thursdays, with Palace facing Shelbourne away on December 11 and hosting Finnish side KuPS a week later. However, this is only part of the story. Palace, currently fifth in the Premier League, must play 11 games, six of them away, over a 36-day period from November 30 to January 4. Their longest rest period is a mere five days, making it the worst schedule among all clubs. Adding to their challenges is an EFL Cup quarter-final tie against Arsenal, a game originally scheduled for the midweek of the KuPS fixture but pushed to December 23. Palace will also play KuPS and Leeds within 48 hours before their cup tie with Arsenal. Over this grueling five-week period, they will face Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Newcastle.
Chelsea: A Tough But Manageable Schedule
While Chelsea’s schedule is not as challenging as Crystal Palace’s, it is still quite tough. Chelsea must play 10 games, with six of them away. Following their loss at Leeds on Wednesday, they will visit Bournemouth at 15:00 GMT on Saturday. The Blues also have a difficult away game in the Champions League against Atalanta next Tuesday. However, they do get a full week off between their visit to Newcastle on December 20 and a home game against Aston Villa on December 27. It also helps that they have two home matches after Christmas, against Villa and Bournemouth, and their EFL Cup quarter-final is away to League One club Cardiff City.
Newcastle United: A Mixed Bag
Newcastle United also faces 10 games, with an equal split of five at home and five away. Their schedule is made more difficult by an away Champions League fixture in Germany against Bayer Leverkusen next Wednesday. They get an extra day’s rest before traveling to Sunderland in the Premier League on December 14. Newcastle is the only club other than Palace not to get a full week off during this period. Their longest rest is six days, between a home game against Chelsea and an away match at Manchester United on December 26. They also have two away games after Christmas, but their EFL Cup tie is at home to Fulham.
Arsenal: Arteta’s Concerns Validated
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal also has an equal split of five home and five away games. Both Arsenal and Aston Villa played on Wednesday night and have European away games next week. The Gunners will face Club Brugge, while Villa visits FC Basel. Arsenal will play Wednesday-Saturday matches twice in this period but face Wolves on Saturday, January 2, at 20:00 GMT. With their EFL Cup quarter-final rescheduled, Arsenal get the midweek of December 15 off, rather than the one leading into Christmas. They have two home games (against Brighton and Villa) coming out of it but have a shorter rest period compared to other teams playing 10 or more games, with an away game against Bournemouth on January 3.
Manchester City: A Well-Spread Schedule
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City has five home games and five away games. They face the difficult Champions League trip to Real Madrid next Wednesday but don’t return to Premier League action until Sunday, December 14, when they visit Crystal Palace. Their EFL Cup game is at home to Brentford. While City get a week off at Christmas, they return to action with two away fixtures, at Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, but with an extra day’s rest in between.
Nottingham Forest: A Mixed Bag
Nottingham Forest has nine games, with five away. They travel to the Netherlands to play FC Utrecht in the Europa League on December 11. Following this, they host Tottenham on Sunday. Forest has only three days between their Christmas games at home to Manchester City and Everton. However, they do have a period of one match in 13 days, which could provide some much-needed rest. Despite the challenges, their schedule is somewhat balanced, with a mix of home and away games, including a crucial European fixture.
