Arsenal Slams Crystal Palace Request as 'Unfair,' Pushes for Alternative Solutions
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes it wouldn't be appropriate to reschedule the club's Carabao Cup quarter-final match against Crystal Palace to December 23, as the Eagles pursue an alternative date for the fixture due to an extraordinary congestion of games.
December typically sees at least seven Premier League matches squeezed in, providing broadcasters with live midweek programming alongside the abundance of football normally scheduled during the festive season.
This campaign follows the same pattern—despite the customary Boxing Day fixtures featuring only one match—and teams involved in European tournaments must also juggle their continental commitments with domestic cup obligations, should they advance to the later rounds of the Carabao Cup.
Arsenal and Palace have achieved exactly that, defeating Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool in the fourth round respectively, and their quarter-final encounter has been set for Tuesday, December 16. However, this leaves Oliver Glasner's Eagles with an almost unbelievable sequence of three fixtures in five days—Manchester City are scheduled to visit Selhurst Park two days earlier in the Premier League before Palace face KuPS in the Conference League two days afterward.
Consequently, Palace are seeking to postpone the match, with Arsenal confronting Wolves a day before City travel to south London. Playing on Christmas Eve has been dismissed following discussions with the Metropolitan police and Transport for London, resulting in Tuesday, December 23 being suggested as a possible alternative.
That's not something Arsenal or Arteta support, however, as the Spanish manager explained in his recent press conference that the Gunners must consider their own priorities and demanding schedule.
"I don't believe that's reasonable, because we have additional competitions as well that we must attempt to fit in," Arteta stated. "We understood at the beginning of the season which competitions each club would be participating in... Overall we must try to arrange things in the best possible manner for everyone."
When specifically addressing the suggested December 23 date and whether it would be suitable, he commented: "No, there are alternatives. There are alternatives, trust me, there are other options far superior to this one. We have already proposed that."
The EFL, who oversee the Carabao Cup, have yet to issue an official decision, with both clubs expected to learn in the upcoming week when the game will take place. It's probable that one side will be dissatisfied with the result—exactly which one that will be remains uncertain.
Arteta: Hopefully Strikes Are Not Necessary
The concept that players are overworked and face too many matches in a compressed timeframe is not a new concern. Multiple worries have been expressed regarding insufficient rest periods for those competing at the highest level—this summer's Club World Cup provided minimal relief to players from Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid and other top clubs—and it has been proposed that industrial action might be necessary to make governing bodies pay attention.
That, according to Arteta, is something he wishes will never materialize, though he did recognize the importance of protecting both players and fans.
"Hopefully not. If we protect the players' wellbeing and our supporters, I believe we'll never reach that stage. And that's final. We must shut that door there. We cannot allow that possibility. It must remain closed. It's our most valuable asset.
"We possess the finest league in the world and we cannot simply allow any opportunity for anything just to sacrifice that because we don't honor that, and we overlook what we're built on and what makes this sport and this league so incredibly special. And if we honor that, I'm confident we'll be completely fine.