Mikel Arteta has called for the Premier League to afford top-flight fixtures the same privilege as Champions League games and avoid scheduling Wednesday-to-Saturday-lunchtime turnarounds in future.
Arsenal visit Aston Villa on Saturday at 12.30pm and the match will kick off 63 hours after the final whistle blew on Wednesday night’s 3-1 defeat by Manchester City. It means recovery time is scarce and the situation is different for teams in European action, who never play earlier than 3pm the following Saturday if they have been in action on Wednesday.
