Oliver Glasner: Crystal Palace coach says accumulation of fixtures would be ‘irresponsible’

There is precedent for playing two midweek matches in recent seasons, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur taking part, but it does not put player welfare front and centre. In July, player representatives and FIFA agreed that there should be a rest period of at least 72 hours between matches.

“I’m really upset but I talked about this issue three months ago when I looked at the schedule in the summer and the off-season,” Glasner added. “There are people working on this and I would really like them to talk together.

“We have international matches, the two cups and the Premier League. It would be great if UEFA, the Premier League and the FA talked together because it is very surprising. Maybe now you cannot find a solution, but we need to solve the problem. It would be irresponsible to play on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.”

“But there is a solution because it is the following week, on the 21st [of December] We’ll play Leeds and then we’ll play on the 28th. There’s been a lot of discussion about why there’s no Boxing Day [matches]. And again, they fixed these games without talking to anyone. “It would be great if they all talked together, that’s their job, and what they get for it.”

Even if Palace can successfully argue against playing on December 16, the most likely date, there is no solution that will satisfy everyone.

“Every decision we make in relation to the match has to be guided by two main things I think – the welfare of the players and then the fans, that’s all,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta admitted on Friday.

The selection on Tuesday, December 23, means that both Arsenal and Palace will have just 48 hours to go after their Premier League matches the previous Sunday, with Arsenal visiting Everton and Palace visiting Leeds.

Arsenal may feel they should not give up their week off due to a situation not of their making. Palace will say it is the fairest result, as both clubs will go into the cup tie facing the same short-term fatigue problem.

Christmas Eve – Wednesday 24 December – has also been mooted but with London’s transport system starting to close after 7pm, it will be impossible to play an evening match with 60,000 fans at the Emirates Stadium. This means playing during the afternoon, which is technically a workday, and should probably start by 4pm at the latest. It is not a solution that meets the needs of supporters in any way.

Wolves and Chelsea were forced to play on Christmas Eve 2023, the first time a Premier League match had been scheduled on that day in 28 years. It caused quite a controversy, but at least it was on a Sunday with kick-off at 1pm.

Someone will be affected by whichever day is chosen, be it the players or the fans.