(Perhaps they should have a team in there that knows how to win it? Five times!) Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Englands top clubs are being handicapped in the Champions League by the illogical scheduling of Premier League matches. While many national associations strive to aide their clubs when they are preparing for high-profile European games, Englands elite are often handed fixture dates and times that appear to hand their rivals an advantage in the Champions League. Now Mourinho has called on the Premier Leagues decision makers to change their mentality and hand their clubs more advantages in a bid to bolster European ambitions that have been floundering in the last couple of seasons. Do people not care that English teams are struggling in Europe? asked the Chelsea boss. Why dont they? I care. Television deserves to be powerful because, without them, nothing would be the same, but there is space in the calendar that could be filled with communication. They should ask the players if its the same, having two or three days to prepare. Ask [Didier] Drogba on Monday: is it the same for him to play on Friday ahead of the trip to London, or on Saturday with the game coming up on Tuesday? I don’t understand why Galatasaray can play on Friday [this week] and we have to play on Saturday. If we played at 7:45 p.m. on a Friday night, it makes a difference to whom? Fewer spectators at Villa Park? I dont think so. Itd still be a full-house and for television? It wouldnt make a difference. It would be the only match, so the [ratings] share would be fantastic. Would it be good for English football and for Chelsea? Yes, but Im trying to get this for all of us, not just for me. For example, I dont understand why Manchester City, a team who must come from Europe on Wednesday night, must play at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday. Why did they have to play Wigan [in the FA Cup quarter-final] on Sunday when Barcelona had played Saturday and had the extra day [for Wednesday’s game between the sides]? If we must all play on Saturday, why not play us at 12.45pm and them at 5.30pm? We have an extra day’ to recover, and so would they. I think everyone would agree on that but there is something in this country that goes outside my understanding. I dont understand. No Premier League team progressed to the quarter-finals of last seasons Champions League and there is a danger the same scenario could transpire as after Arsenal and Manchester City went out of the competition earlier this week, with Chelsea and Manchester United facing tricky second-leg last-16 ties against Galatasaray and Olympiacos next week. espn
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 08:30:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015