Pep Guardiola is a manager so wedded to tactical preparation that he once pulled a muscle in his back after watching too many hours of footage of an opponent at Bayern Munich—ahead of a preseason match.
Yet, even the arch-strategist has been forced to adjust his approach amid the flurry of fixtures facing Manchester City ahead of this season’s run-in. “It is game, good recover, game, recover,” Guardiola fretted after complicating the calendar even further with a trip to the FA Cup final. “No more than that.”
City’s conclusion to a campaign which can still end with a domestic treble has taken another twist. The Premier League have belatedly announced the dates and kickoff times of all remaining fixtures, handing Guardiola’s side a compact schedule which has left them “frustrated,” per BBC Sport.
Arsenal, City’s top-flight title rivals, and fellow FA Cup finalists Chelsea, have benefited from the reshuffling.
Man City’s New Schedule: Four Games in 11 Days
Pep Guardiola looking perturbed.
Pep Guardiola has been dealt an unfavorable hand. | Jorge Horsted/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Date Opponent Venue
Monday, May 4 Everton Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Saturday, May 9 Brentford Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Wednesday, May 13 Crystal Palace Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Saturday, May 16 Chelsea (FA Cup final) Wembley Stadium, London
Tuesday, May 19 Bournemouth Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Sunday, May 24 Aston Villa Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City’s scheduling issues revolved around the unresolved clash with Crystal Palace. The match was first postponed all the way back in February once they qualified for the Carabao Cup final and has not found a new home thanks to Palace’s run in the Conference League.
Guardiola’s side reportedly favored the prospect of facing Bournemouth in the midweek of May 13—ensuring that they would end the league campaign with consecutive home games—but the Premier League have instead saved that trip to the south coast for May 19, three days after the FA Cup final.
Andoni Iraola’s final home game as Bournemouth boss could prove to be an emotional setting for City’s penultimate league contest, when the Premier League title will almost certainly still be on the line.
Arsenal’s New Schedule: London Calling
Arsenal’s captain Martin Ødegaard celebrating.
Martin Ødegaard is aiming to become the first Arsenal captain since Patrick Vieira to lift the Premier League trophy. | Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
Date Opponent Venue
Wednesday, April 29 Atlético Madrid Metropolitano, Madrid
Saturday, May 2 Fulham Emirates Stadium, London
Tuesday, May 5 Atlético Madrid Emirates Stadium, London
Sunday, May 10 West Ham London Stadium, London
Monday, May 18 Burnley Emirates Stadium, London
Sunday, May 24 Crystal Palace Selhurst Park, London
Arsenal’s complication of the Champions League semifinals is effectively balanced by City’s league congestion. While Guardiola’s side have to navigate four games in 11 days, the Gunners’ first semifinal against Atlético Madrid starts a sequence of four games in 12 days.
Crucially, however, Mikel Arteta has ample time to prepare for the final three league games. There is a five-day break before a trip to relegation-battling West Ham United, with free weeks between meetings with Burnley and Crystal Palace.
What’s more, Arsenal don’t leave London in May (unless they make it to the Champions League final in Budapest, which is after the league season has concluded). While City are zig-zagging between Wembley, Manchester and Dorset, Arsenal can remain within the confines of the M25.
Chelsea’s New Schedule: Plenty of Preparation Time
Enzo Fernández, João Pedr
Chelsea earned a hard-fought victory over rivals Leeds United to set up an FA Cup final with Man City. | Chris Lee/Chelsea FC/Getty Images
Date Opponent Venue
Monday, May 4 Nottingham Forest Stamford Bridge, London
Saturday, May 9 Liverpool Anfield, Liverpool
Saturday, May 16 Man City (FA Cup final) Wembley Stadium, London
Tuesday, May 19 Tottenham Stamford Bridge, London
Sunday, May 24 Sunderland Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Chelsea’s Champions League qualification aspirations may not be quite dead and buried just yet. Should Aston Villa slip into fifth place and win the Europa League, the team which finishes sixth in the Premier League would also get a spot at the continental top table.
Nevertheless, much of Calum McFarlane’s focus will surely be diverted towards the FA Cup final. Unlike City, who host Crystal Palace three days earlier, Chelsea have a full week to prepare for the trip to Wembley.
There is the new wrinkle of a midweek clash with Tottenham Hotspur added to the Blues’ calendar, although that may be more inviting than inconvenient. In a reimagining of the infamous “Battle of the Bridge”—the game which saw Chelsea hand Leicester City the Premier League title at the expense of Spurs—the west London club could play the role of spoilers in even more spectacular fashion, potentially sending Tottenham down to the Championship.
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