Mikel Arteta has hit out at the Premier League, claiming Arsenal ’s fixture schedule in the race for a top-four place is “not fair”.
The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night as their five-match winning run came to an abrupt end. The hosts impressed in the first half but were blown away by two goals in eight second-half minutes from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.
Arsenal had their chances, but Alisson saved well from Martin Odegaard and, despite terrorising Trent Alexander-Arnold , Gabriel Martinelli could not force a goal. The result means Arteta’s side have now lost six in succession to Liverpool without scoring, including four this season.
Despite defeat, Arsenal remain in a good position in the Premier League, sitting fourth, a point ahead of Manchester United with two games in hand. Having played Sunday and Wednesday, they face a quick turnaround for Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off against Aston Villa – something Arteta is furious about.
“Thank you so much to the Premier League to do that,” he said sarcastically in his post-match press conference. “And they’ve done it again for when we have to play Chelsea and Manchester United. So if they want to give them any advantage I say today, thank you so much for doing that.”
Arsenal are in control of their own destiny in the race for fourth place, thanks to their games in hand, but do have some tricky fixtures. Next month, the Gunners travel across London to face Chelsea on Wednesday, April 20, before hosting United on Saturday, April 23.
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However, the current concern is for Saturday and a trip to Birmingham to face Aston Villa. With the fixture in mind, Arteta brought off Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette against Liverpool and is confident his players will be able to handle the physical demands of the fixture congestion.
“Yes 100 per cent,” he said. “Don’t worry on Saturday, the players will be there with energy. They will sleep, eat well. But thank you so much to the Premier League for putting the fixtures like this. Very, very helpful.”
Arteta confirmed that Arsenal had submitted an appeal to the Premier League, but it had not been successful. He added: “No it’s always BT, it’s Sky, it’s this, it’s that, but the one that is affected is Arsenal and the only thing I care about and we care about is Arsenal and for Arsenal, it’s not fair.”
Wednesday’s defeat by Liverpool was broadcast by Sky Sports, while Arsenal’s trip to Aston Villa will be live on BT Sport on Saturday. Complaints about fixture scheduling are nothing new, with Jurgen Klopp particularly notable for his tirades against broadcasters .
While they are involved in a difficult run of games currently, Arsenal do have the advantage of focusing solely on the Premier League. After finishing eighth last season, the Gunners are not involved in European competitions, while they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by Nottingham Forest in January.
