It’s fair to say that neither Pep Guardiola nor Jurgen Klopp were too happy with the quick turnaround between Premier League games last Christmas.
Both the Manchester City and Liverpool bosses made their feelings pretty clear in post-match interviews on Monday evening, as Klopp bemoaned the lack of rest time between games after his side’s draw with Sunderland.
As for Guardiola, well he just seemed angry with the world in interviews with Sky Sports and BBC Sport, and part of that would undoubtedly have been due to the packed fixture list.
If they thought their groans would make a difference for next season, then they are sadly wrong as a draft version of the schedule has been released by BBC Sport which suggests it will be even worse this time round.
While there were four matches over Christmas and New Year for each club, the Premier League will make it six over the same period next season as the campaign will have to finish earlier in order to help England prepare for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
As a result, between December 16 and January 1, there will be six games for each club to contend with, and given the reaction we got from Guardiola and Klopp about a 48-hour turnaround, this is likely to infuriate them further.
In fairness, it won’t just be them as the entire Premier League, from managers to players, will be dreading the packed fixture list and question how they’ll be able to manage it without picking up injuries and setbacks along the way.
Nevertheless, it looks like they will have to find a way to deal with it, while for supporters it’s an absolutely treat over the festive period to see so much football with not too much sympathy being dished out for players earning plenty of money.
