A number of clubs have reportedly even begun to “question the integrity of the title race” in response to the Premier League’s most recent round of delayed fixtures.
Six previously postponed games were also rescheduled, and the Premier League revealed on Saturday which matches had been chosen for live television broadcast for the remaining two gameweeks in April.
Interesting changes to the schedule resulted from it, the most notable of which being that Tottenham will now have 15 days free before the Sunday, April 28 north London derby.
The matchup, which may still be rescheduled should Arsenal advance to the Champions League semifinals, is part of an extremely hectic schedule for the Gunners, who play four times while Spurs are on vacation.
The Mirror claims that clubs are outraged by that match and a number of other selections, with some doubting the “integrity” of the fixture list and worried it would have a significant impact on the title battle.
Similar to this, Liverpool’s schedule calls for them to go to Goodison Park on Wednesday, April 24, to play Everton in the Merseyside derby, followed by a Saturday lunchtime kickoff against West Ham—a very short turnaround between games.
However, if Mikel Arteta’s team plays in the Champions League semifinals, that matchup might really change, with Spurs vs. Arsenal airing on TV after lunch.
Because of this, Liverpool’s and Arsenal’s schedules are a little bit unclear; title challenger Manchester City is not facing any such problems.
The match was postponed because of Pep Guardiola’s club’s involvement in the FA Cup semi-final, saving them from having to go to rival team Tottenham in the midst of a losing streak.
Instead of moving the trip to Tottenham to the week before the North London derby, which would have cut into their break before the match against Arsenal, City’s other postponed match has been moved to Thursday, April 25, against Brighton.
This implies that Spurs will have a 15-day break before hosting Arsenal and then Newcastle, whereas the Gunners will play an extremely difficult schedule that includes Aston Villa, Bayern Munich, Wolves, and Chelsea.
Additionally, it’s thought that Tottenham’s lengthy break and its possible advantages over Arsenal might play a role in the top-four race and provide them an advantage over Aston Villa and Manchester United, who do not benefit from a lengthy break this late in the season.
The meeting between City and Tottenham is one of four scheduled games that has not yet been rescheduled. The other three are the Blues’ away game against Brighton, Manchester United’s encounter against Newcastle, and Spurs’ trip to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea.
