Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hit out at the Premier League fixture schedule as Arsenal face Aston Villa just days after their defeat against Manchester City. The Gunners have taken just a single point from their last three fixtures and have slipped down into second place as the title race heats up.
Premier League teams held a meeting in 2021 to stop teams participating in the UEFA Champions League from playing on Wednesday evening ahead of a Saturday lunchtime fixture. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has bemoaned the fixture schedule since his arrival at Anfield, accusing the Premier League and TV companies last year of throwing “a stick between the legs” during the Reds' quadruple chase claiming that no other league would impose such a schedule.
Arteta has also taken aim at the Premier League before regarding the fixture list after the Gunners tasted defeat against Liverpool in a mid-week match before ironically facing Villa on Saturday in a 12:30PM kick-off, as they will this week. Injuries have been a constant problem for Arsenal this season with Emile Smith Rowe, Mohamed Elneny and Gabriel Jesus all having faced lengthy lay-offs, whilst Thomas Partey has become the latest absentee from Arteta's squad.
