Aston Villa v Chelsea: Jose Mourinho says fixture schedule is harming English clubs in Europe
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says league must be do more to help teams prepare for Champions League ties
Unfair advantage: Jose Mourinho says English clubs are being harmed by TV schedule Photo: ACTION IMAGES
Jose Mourinho has joined Arsène Wenger and Frank Lampard in warning that the fixture schedule is hurting English clubs in Europe and highlighted how Galatasaray will have an extra day to prepare for Tuesday’s Champions League match against Chelsea.
Didier Drogba’s Galatasaray played on Friday night in the Turkish League against Karabukspor while Mourinho’s Chelsea have been put back to an evening kick-off against Aston Villa on Saturday so that their match can be shown live on television.
Arsenal were in the same position of having to play their Champions League first leg against Bayern Munich with a day’s less rest, as did Manchester City against Barcelona on Wednesday. Having returned from Spain on Thursday morning, City have a 12.45pm kick-off on Saturday for television.
Mourinho has also worked in Portugal, Spain and Italy and he says that every other European league tries to help its clubs. Like Wenger, he now believes that fixtures should be harmonised before Champions League matches.
Chelsea are the only English team to have progressed past the last 16 of the Champions League in the past three years. “There is something in this country that goes outside my understanding,” said Mourinho. “People don’t care that English teams are struggling in Europe? I care. TV deserves to be powerful but there is space that could be filled with communication and with people who can witness the experiences.
“They should ask the players. Ask Drogba is it the same for him to play Friday or Saturday and travel to London on Sunday to play Tuesday. If we played Friday 7.45pm, it makes a difference to who?
“I’m trying to get this for all of us, not just me. I hope Yaya Touré doesn’t tell me to shut up, but why not us play at 12.45pm and City at 5.30pm? We’d have extra time to recover and so would they.”
The reference to Touré followed the Manchester City midfielder’s claim that it was not “correct” for Mourinho to talk so much about other teams.
Mourinho responded on Friday by saying that he has only ever tried to support City by talking up their chances in the Premier League and Champions League.
“I’m trying to get this for all of us, not just me. I hope Yaya Touré doesn’t tell me to shut up, but why not us play at 12.45pm and City at 5.30pm? We’d have extra time to recover and so would they.”
The reference to Touré followed the Manchester City midfielder’s claim that it was not “correct” for Mourinho to talk so much about other teams.
Mourinho responded on Friday by saying that he has only ever tried to support City by talking up their chances in the Premier League and Champions League.
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