Mikel Arteta Arsenal
The EFL announced a significant change to the Carabao Cup quarter-final schedule, moving the clash between Arsenal and Crystal Palace to Tuesday, December 23. This decision was made to address the fixture congestion that has become “entirely unavoidable”. Initially slated for December 16, the match’s rescheduling aims to alleviate the burden on Crystal Palace, who would have faced four games in just eight days.
Mikel Arteta said: “Hopefully they will move our Premier League match, because to play two days later doesn’t make any sense. So now we decide the date (for the Carabao Cup match) I am sure they will change the Premier League (match) as well.”
Mikel Arteta added: “I’ll leave that to the club. I think we’re very clear what was the best thing, the more logical day to play, they bring a different date.”
Mikel Arteta continued: “We have seven players out, so I don’t know what depth we’re talking about now because we’re missing a lot of players, a lot of front players. If we continue to do that every three days….we want respecting again. What we discussed previously (on player welfare), that in our opinion it’s the most important part.”
Palace coach Oliver Glasner said: “It would be irresponsible to allow the game to go ahead on December 16.”
The rescheduling of the match to December 23, with an 8 pm kick-off, comes as a relief to Crystal Palace, who were initially set to host Manchester City in the Premier League on December 14, followed by the Arsenal clash on December 16. They also have a Conference League fixture against KuPS of Finland on December 18, before returning to Premier League action against Leeds United on December 21. The fixture change now sees both Arsenal and Crystal Palace playing two matches in three days, with their league commitments on December 21.
This decision underscores the ongoing challenges faced by clubs in managing player welfare amid a congested fixture calendar. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who joined the Gunners in 2011 after a lengthy spell at Everton, expressed concerns over the squad’s depth, given the number of players currently unavailable. The club is hopeful that the Premier League will adjust their schedule accordingly to prevent further strain on the players.
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