Why are SKY trying to sabotage Arsenal’s Europa League campaign?

Have Sky Cost Us The Europa League? by Dan Smith

Going to Napoli will be hard enough without having to play at Watford on the Monday before, just days previously. If we get past the Italians, we will face the same problem in the semi-final (if we get there) when we go to Leicester on a Monday Night before the first leg that Thursday.

When organising their schedules, Sky must have known that there was a possibility we be in the latter stages of the Europa League yet still decided not to instead put us on Super Sunday. The consensus has to be they simply don’t care. I see it from the TV companies’ point of view. They are paying billions for the right to broadcast content, why should they be dictated to? Yet it be nice for the Premiership to at least ask, that’s assuming they care about English clubs doing well in Europe?

Foreign coaches have often spoke how our country is in the minority about helping their own. Portuguese clubs will deliberately be allowed to play on a Friday if they have a Champions League Night midweek. France recently changed their fixtures to help Rennes as much as possible prepare for their match with us. You would think the Premier League and Sky have people in charge with enough common sense to find a compromise? Surely it helps the brand the more successful English sides are in Europe? Surely Sky want their viewers to see the strongest possible Arsenal? While I have never agreed that players need rest and can’t play every few days, all competitions should be as fair as possible.

Unai Emery will have to balance his squad but there’s no way he will choose one over the other. Does he field 2 different elevens? Does he gamble/sacrifice a loss at Watford if it means we go to Italy fresh? Even if we find ourselves on track to finish in the top 4, he won’t turn his back on a trophy. He might feel obliged just to go for it and accept playing Monday – Thursday. Not that he should be put in this position in the first place.

Is this taking profit over

14 Comments

  1. No sabotage

    Chelsea also have to travel to Liverpool in just three days after travelling to Prague

    Had Arsenal considered the schedule to be unfair, they would have complained to FA and UEFA

    1. A silly response because, as we know from the past, the club have no veto over Sky and BT. And both have always put their wants before English clubs unless, of course it happens to be Man Utd.

      1. I thought Monday/ Thursday are common match days and it has been like this for more than a decade?

    2. “Had Arsenal considered the schedule to be unfair, they would have complained to FA and UEFA” And what evidence do you have of this? I’ve honestly never known someone to consistently say such ill-informed nonsense and state it as 100% fact.

    1. Profit is taking over and it’s why football clubs are thinking about profit. The power is with the broadcaster unfortunately.

      5 games until a final or 8 games to sure top four?

      Do arsenal have 13 games in them!!!

  2. I don’t give a toss we have enough quality to win all the games and sky and bt don’t give a shit about anyone other than money so don’t moan about it just enjoy the ride

  3. I dont see the problem. In fact we get 1 day extra to prepare for the EPL games which are just as important for top 4 as Europa is not guaranteed.

    plus we have a decent enough squad to rotate.

  4. People, read and read twice, no problem but what the author says is in other countries, they are flexible to adjust matchups to ensure more rest for teams in Europe and in England they turn a blind eye…Read the last paragraphs again and again

  5. “While I have never agreed that players need rest” I love it when people say stuff like this, as if their experience sitting on their arse and writing blogs on the internet is more valuable than the people who have actually competed at the highest levels in this sport.

    And I’m not saying that players are always right and fans always wrong, far from it, but when it comes to something like how much rest players need, how you can claim to know better than the actual athletes themselves in just insanely arrogant and dismissive.

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