Mancini critical of fixture list as Arsenal loom

SOCCER ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINALS: Arsenal V Man City:Venue: The Emirates Kick-off: Tonight, 8pm On TV: Sky Sports 2

ROBERTO MANCINI has joined a long line of Premier League managers to cite burnout as the principal reason why England consistently disappoint during major tournaments. More immediately Manchester City’s Italian manager is most worried about the impact of what he regards as severe fixture congestion and its attendant implications in terms of travel fatigue on his own team before the League Cup quarter-final at Arsenal tonight.

“On Monday we go to London and we’ll change all the team because this is an incredible situation,” said Mancini, who claims he will field a completely different starting XI from the side that drew 1-1 with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

“Arsenal played on Saturday, we played on Sunday evening. Monday we travel to London and we play Tuesday night. Incredible. I think this is the reason why the national team arrive for European Championships and World Cups and they are dying. The players don’t have time to recover. For us to play again in two days like this so soon after the Champions League [City visited Napoli last week] is incredible.”

City’s manager believes the Premier League should intervene to protect the welfare of players and serve the wider good of the game. “I don’t know who to blame. But the Premier League should have said something about this. It’s important to play but it’s also important to recover. You need three days between one game and the next. We’ll have the same situation in January when we play at Sunderland [on New Year’s Day] and then face Liverpool in two days. Liverpool play three days before us. Is this correct? I don’t think so.”

Today the fixture list favours neither City nor Liverpool as, with Kenny Dalglish’s side at Chelsea, both are engaged in League Cup quarter-finals in the capital having barely had time to draw breath following their exertions on Sunday. By way of protest Dalglish has threatened to field a team of juniors at Stamford Bridge and his City counterpart is equally aggrieved. “I agree with Kenny. We should play with 11 young players. Maybe 14 or 15 years old,” said Mancini, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “It’s a quarter-final. It’s incredible. It’s not correct. Not so much for us but for the players. It’s not right.”

Unlike some managerial peers, he, at least, has the luxury of being able to rotate an unusually strong squad with impressive cover in all positions and his reshuffle at the Emirates is likely to open the door to an appearance from Owen Hargreaves in midfield.

Whatever City’s composition, they are likely to face a youthful ensemble. Former Arsenal defender Gael Clichy, who knows all about Arsene Wenger’s dedication to blooding youngsters in the League Cup, stressed this does not mean his old side should be taken lightly.

“I remember nine years ago at Arsenal the boss played the young players and we went right through to the semi-finals,” he said. “We shouldn’t think that we will win the game easily just because Arsenal will play a young team.”

Guardian Service