It’s that time of the year again where the festive period can make or break a club’s season. While the rest of Europe’s top leagues took a climate-enforced break and crowned their winter champions (some leagues like the Bundesliga take a month off every year), the Premier League players are made to toil in cold, blustery venues across England.
There is no question that it is the television channels that profit the most from the fixtures over Christmas and New Years’. Having spent billions securing arguably one of the biggest telecast deals on the planet, they are now hell-bent on getting back every penny.
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Herein lies the problem. With the FA Cup fixtures just around the corner and the two-legged EFL Cup semi-finals to follow, some clubs will find themselves waist deep in fixtures and their squad strength severely tested.
But to add to it all, some clubs are given a lot more leeway when the schedule is released – just so the TV channels can slot them into prime time TV slots and make the most of the viewership on a holiday (or even a weeknight).
Managers point out issues with the schedule
The 2016/17 season has been no different. And a number of managers have pointed it out. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was fuming when he answered a question about the tight schedule.
“In 20 years it is the most uneven Christmas period I have seen on the fixture front.
“The difference of rest periods is absolutely unbelievable. Compared to the other teams it is unbelievable.” – Wenger
The Gunners boss also had a few words to say to the television channels who decide which fixture is played when. While the fixtures for each match week are decided by a computer, it is the broadcasters who decide when these games are played.
“I don't know anymore whether the Premier League is the master of the fixtures,” Wenger opined. “We have to accept that television chooses the games. But I must say on that front that some teams have a bit more luck than others.”
Even Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, never one to mince words, took a clear dig at his former club, saying: “The busy period is for some clubs, not for everyone.
“If you analyse the fixtures there is no congestion for them. It looks like the fixtures are chosen to give rest for some and to create problems to others.” – Mourinho
For managers new to the Premier League, such as Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola, a hectic schedule in the December-January period may have come as a culture shock – no matter how prepared they were when they took on the job. However, as it turned out, only one of them had to worry.
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League leaders Chelsea have had a huge advantage
One look at the fixtures’ dates tells you that Chelsea will finish the festive period as the only top club not to complain. The Blues will have had the most rest after all three fixtures are complete. Having played on 26 and 31 December, they next play on the 4 January – the high-profile clash with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
This is in stark contrast to a club like Southampton who played on December 28 and 31 followed by another game on January 2 – that is three games in just 117 hours! Manager Claude Puel will be the most aggrieved of the lot and will feel hard done by.
Unsurprisingly, the Saints lost all three matches, collecting zero points while conceding nine goals against Tottenham, West Brom and Everton (the latter two are their direct competitors in the table). The last game saw them keep a clean sheet until the 73rd minute before the floodgates opened. The players looked absolutely knackered by the time Romelu Lukaku fired in the third goal.
Second-placed Liverpool have also had it tough having played their last three league games in the span of 144 hours. While the Anfield side thrashed Stoke City 4-1 and narrowly beat Manchester City 1-0 in an uninspiring New Years' Eve fixture, their fatigue was evident in the 2-2 draw with Sunderland on Monday.
To make matters worse for Jurgen Klopp, the Reds now play five games in 18 days thanks to their commitments in the FA Cup and EFL Cup. Having not played any European football, this will now be Klopp’s biggest test as squad rotation becomes paramount. And their opponents in the EFL Cup? Poor old Southampton.
Both the Manchester clubs also struggled a bit, even if the Red Devils did manage to win all their games. The final game against West Ham may not have panned out the way Mourinho and the fans would have liked but, in the end, it was the three points that mattered most. City, on the other hand, could find themselves outside the top four once this set of fixtures is complete.
Among all the clubs, only Chelsea, Watford and Crystal Palace had more than 200 hours to play three games with the Blues receiving the most rest. The London side received a minimum of 24 hours more than any other club in the top six.
The stage is perfectly set for Conte to lead his team to a new record of most consecutive wins in a Premier League season. And should his Blues achieve that feat, he will have the favourable schedule to thank for playing a huge part.
