Arsenal have been put in a tough position by the Premier League and could benefit from rule changes in time for next season. North London residents are still fighting on two fronts, despite having four of their dreams snuffed out early in the campaign. After beating Fulham on Saturday, they moved six points clear of Manchester City and could not only reach the Champions League final but also take control of the Premier League title race.
There was little room for error for the Gunners considering City face Everton on Monday night, with Victor Goqueres scoring the opener after just nine minutes to calm the nerves at the Emirates Stadium. Bukayo Saka had his goal canceled, but he succeeded with his second try five minutes before the break. Minutes later, Gokeres doubled his tally and put Arsenal beyond reach.
After the interval, they managed to survive a goalless second half to pick up maximum points and avoid a slide with three Premier League games remaining.
But their job might have been easier if the domestic game schedule had been more friendly to them. Arsenal faced Fulham just three days after facing Atletico Madrid in the crucial first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Given that the North Londoners are still fighting for the Premier League title, but also in Europe, it would have made more sense for them to play on Sunday or even Monday night.
Such a move would have given key players more time to rest and recover, rather than having them return suddenly for the game against Fulham.
City face Everton on Monday, nine days after Josep Guardiola’s side last took to the pitch in the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton.
Arsenal, on the other hand, had less than 72 hours to recover and prepare for the match after returning from Spain to face Fulham.
We were lucky to get a clean sweep of Fulham, otherwise the Premier League fixture schedule would have been thrown into serious doubt.
But the result of the match doesn’t really matter. Considering they are the only English club still competing in the Champions League, why weren’t they given more time between matches?
A rule change that gives European clubs maximum time between competitions and domestic matches would allow English teams to shine in both areas, rather than being forced to prioritize one or the other.
But don’t hold your breath, because bringing it into next season will depend on the Premier League actually applying common sense.
