‘unfair’—arsenal Against Crystal Palace Request, Believe Other Options Exist

Arsenal head Mikel Arteta says it would not beryllium adjacent to move nan club’s Carabao Cup quarter-final conflict pinch Crystal Palace to Dec. 23, pinch nan Eagles seeking an replacement day for nan fixture amid an unprecedented pile-up of matches.

December is traditionally a period wherever astatine slightest 7 Premier League games are crammed in, offering broadcasters unrecorded midweek sum successful summation to nan glut of shot usually penned successful for nan Christmas period.

This play is nary different—despite nan traditional Boxing Day slate featuring conscionable 1 game—and clubs successful European title besides person to equilibrium their continental duties pinch home cup duties, should they make it done to nan second stages of nan Carabao Cup.

Arsenal and Palace person done conscionable that, overcoming Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool successful nan 4th information respectively, and their quarter-final conflict has been scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 16. But that gives Oliver Glasner’s Eagles are a scarcely believable tally of 3 matches successful 5 days—Manchester City are owed to sojourn Selhurst Park 2 days anterior successful nan Premier League earlier Palace return connected KuPS successful nan Conference League 2 days later.

As such, Palace are looking to move nan game, pinch Arsenal facing Wolves a time earlier City caput to southbound London. Playing connected Christmas Eve has been ruled retired aft consultation pinch nan Metropolitan constabulary and Transport for London, starring to Tuesday, Dec. 23 being projected arsenic a imaginable option.

Eberechi Eze scored Arsenal’s victor against Crystal Palace successful their caller meeting. / HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP/Getty Images)

That’s not thing Arsenal or Arteta are connected committee with, though, arsenic nan Spaniard outlined successful his latest news convention that nan Gunners person to see their ain interests and hectic schedule.

“I don’t deliberation that’s fair, because we person different competitions arsenic good we person to effort to accommodate,” Arteta remarked. “We knew astatine nan commencement of nan play nan competitions that each nine is playing successful … On equilibrium we person to effort to accommodate nan champion imaginable measurement for everybody.”

Specifically discussing nan projected Dec. 23 day and whether it would work, he said: “No, location are others. There are others, judge me, location are different options overmuch amended than this one. We already suggested that.”

The EFL, who govern nan Carabao Cup, are yet to make an charismatic ruling, pinch some teams expected to find retired successful nan coming week erstwhile nan crippled will beryllium played. It’s apt 1 statement will beryllium disappointed by nan outcome—just who that is remains to beryllium seen.

Martin Ødegaard (left) had nan summertime disconnected but has struggled pinch galore injuries successful 2025–26. / IMAGO/Colorsport

The conception that players are overworked and person excessively galore games to play successful a condensed play of clip is thing new. There's been a number of concerns raised successful regards to a deficiency of clip disconnected for those operating astatine an elite level—this summer’s Club World Cup offered small respite to players from Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid and different starring clubs—and it’s been suggested that onslaught action whitethorn beryllium required to make governing bodies listen.

That, successful nan estimation of Arteta, is thing he hopes will ne'er travel to fruition, though he did admit nan request to return attraction of players and supporters alike.

“Hopefully not. If we look aft nan players' use and our supporters, I deliberation we're ne'er going to get to that point. And that's it. We person to adjacent nan model there. We cannot unfastened that window. It has to beryllium closed. It's our astir precious value.

“We person nan champion convention successful nan world and we cannot conscionable unfastened immoderate model for thing conscionable to suffer that because we don't respect that, and we hide what we are made of and what makes this crippled and this convention so, truthful special. And if we respect that, I'm judge we're going to beryllium wholly fine.

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