Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged the Premier League to protect clubs against Saturday’s forced kick-off after playing Wednesday night. Premier League teams competing in the Champions League are not scheduled in the 1230 GMT Saturday slot if they played in Europe the previous Wednesday. However, Arsenal will meet Aston Villa in a vital Premier League game on Saturday morning, just 63 hours after the full-time whistle signaled their 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.
With Arsenal handing over the top spot in the Premier League to City after that crushing defeat, the weary Gunners have no margin for error at Villa Park.
While it is too late to help Arsenal on this occasion, Arteta wants the Premier League fixtures schedule to be changed in the future to provide protection for all clubs, rather than just those in the Champions League.
“There are certain rules in the Champions League. If you play on Wednesday night and then you can’t play (on Saturday afternoon). So I think that should apply to every competition,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.
“But I think on the same principle, I think you talk physiologically, it’s very difficult to turn that period around to get the best result and reduce the risk of injury for players, but that’s all.
“They set the schedule the way they did it. It’s a bit unusual, but it is what it is. The players are very motivated for tomorrow’s game because we want to perform well and win the game.”
“It’s not about worrying or not worrying. We have to play. I want the players to be in the best mindset possible and physically ready to take on that challenge.”
Despite his complaints, Arteta was adamant he would not use kick-off time as an excuse if Arsenal failed to win at Villa.
“We knew at that moment that we were going to play. That’s no excuse,” he said.
“I think they (his players) are young. They have a lot of energy.”
Having held an eight-point lead over City just a month ago, Arsenal have stumbled into a four-match run without winning in all competitions.
Their bid for their first Premier League title since 2004 is in danger of imploding, but Arteta believes his young side can handle the mounting pressure.
“If you want to be at the top, you have to do it. Looking at what they (the players) have done recently gives me a lot of encouragement to think they are ready,” he said.
“We talked about the position we’ve been in for a few months now, the way the team is playing and the things you need to do to stay there.”
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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