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Frank Lampard has said that Chelsea have been at a disadvantage in the title race by being forced to play twice in 48 hours over Christmas, accusing the Premier League of taking football “back in time” and compromising integrity. of the competition.
Chelsea will travel to Arsenal on Boxing Day for the start of Saturday at 5:30 pm GMT, then play at home against Aston Villa exactly 48 hours later.
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Manchester City has the same schedule, although it starts at 8pm GMT on both days, but on the contrary, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur play on December 27 and then on December 30, while Manchester United play on 26 and 29. an imbalance that Lampard believes is unfair.
“It’s two games in two days, 48 hours,” Lampard told a news conference. “I’m not trying to be smart, it’s an important point for us, because there are other teams that are challenging at the top of the league that play two games in three days.
“And I clearly know what happened to this one as well. The game is being broadcast live like everyone else now. We played Arsenal on Boxing Day and our game with Manchester City has now been moved forward to Sunday (January 3). Schedule meant we couldn’t play and Aston Villa also wanted to play on Tuesday, they wanted one more day, and so did we, but we were rejected by both the Premier League and the broadcasters.
“I know sometimes [with] the Premier League, the blame may lie with the broadcasters and the Premier League. I know that together between us, this was bounced, it was decided that we play twice in 48 hours, when other teams that are challenging at the top of the league play twice in three days.
“I don’t see what a fair playing field is like, I think it’s bad and it’s not going to be the best for the players who play at the highest level. Don’t get me wrong, Aston Villa has the same problem. We playing, we will both have the Same problems. But I’m just saying we don’t have the same rest period as other teams. “
Lampard insisted that quick change means he may have to rotate his team a lot when Villa visits Stamford Bridge.
“I think [playing the same team is] “almost impossible,” he said. “I couldn’t say what I just said and then hit the same team and expect to get a high level performance and energy from them necessarily in terms of their fitness.
“I think that everyone who works in the sport, when we play now is the recovery of the second day. It is not good not even that the players go out to train and much less that they play at a high level of 90 minutes. In the back At Arsenal, where the players are, each individual is different and we will do everything we can to make the right change.
“In the old days, they used to play back to back. For whatever reason, someone has taken it back in time, when we have the best product in the world and we want to see the best players on the court.”
