Mikel Arteta has urged the Premier League to follow the same path as most European teams when it comes to recovery before and after Champions League matches, while saying scrapping FA Cup replays is a “very good possibility”. .
These comments came after all three title challengers were eliminated in their respective European competitions. Arsenal lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Manchester City to Real Madrid, and Liverpool to Atalanta in the Europa League.
“If you look at Bayern and our schedule, the situation is different considering the number of games they have, the fact that they rested 10 players nine days ago and three days ago,” Arteta said.
“In these leagues they cancel games or move them forward to get more rest for the Champions League. We (Premier League) don't do that and we put even more pressure on ourselves. That's not an excuse, that's the reality.
“If we want to fight in the same conditions, we should be able to recover the same amount between matches. At least, that's what we can do.”
Since returning from international break in March, Bayern Munich have played just one more game than Arsenal's six. But what makes the argument even more nuanced is that he had an extra day to recover for the second leg.
Similar efforts have been made in European leagues to help teams advance to the Champions League, most notably in the 2018-19 season, when the Eredivisie rescheduled an entire weekend for the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur. .
Asked for his thoughts on the possibility of FA Cup replays being scrapped, he added: “I can't think about that in isolation, but given the calendar for the next few seasons, we need to cancel the match.” Ta. For the players. I think it's a very good possibility.
“I understand all points of view. Our mission and my mission is to protect our players. If you look at how many minutes and games they played without a break in the last two years, you can see that in the next two years How many games do we have to play? It's definitely not healthy. Somehow we have to reduce the calendar somewhere, that's for sure.
“I think we have to find a solution to that and listen to the players more because I think they are the protagonists.”
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Football Association defends decision to abolish FA Cup replays
