Mikel Arteta has taken aim at the Premier League again for its scheduling of Arsenal's games ahead of his team's trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Gunners face Villa in the early kick-off, having played Liverpool on Wednesday.
After the 2-0 defeat to Jurgen Klopp's side, Arteta was sarcastic in his response when asked about Arsenal's upcoming fixture schedule that also includes facing Chelsea and Manchester United in quick succession next month (April 20 and 23).
"Thank you so much to the Premier League for doing that," he sarcastically told reporters on Wednesday.
"And they've done it again when we have to play Chelsea and Manchester United. So if they want to give them any advantage, I say to them today: 'Thank you so much for doing that'."
Speaking at a media conference ahead of the Villa game, Arteta reiterated his stance, saying that it is only his team who have been "scheduled like that".
When asked if he stood by his comments, he replied: "I do because I'm talking about the Premier League. I heard some comments about mixing up being away in Europe and how it's nothing new.
"It's nothing new to me, but I'm not complaining about Europe, I'm complaining about the Premier League and how you schedule games in the Premier League. When you are in Europe, it's a different story. What I'm comparing is the Premier League and it's very difficult.
"We've been the only team that has been scheduled like that."
Arteta later clarified: "The first thing is to protect the players. We have mentioned many times 'can we please avoid doing Wednesday night and Saturday morning' and travelling and all those kind of things. I understand that they have the commitments and the TV, we all understand that.
"If you do it once, okay, but don't do it twice because we still have to [play] Spurs, what are we going to do? Are we going to do it for a third time? Are we going to be the only ones to do it? You can accept that but you don't want to be silly either."
Arteta also had words of praise for his opposite number on Saturday, Steven Gerrard. The former Liverpool midfielder moved to Villa from Rangers earlier in the season, where he had enjoyed success, and where Arteta himself used to play.
"I think he's done very, very well [as a manager]," he said. "What he did at Rangers is remarkable and I don't know if he gets the credit that he should because I played there and I know how that club works.
"How he turned it around and what he's doing at Villa. I think so far he's done really well."
Aldershot move into play-off places with victory at 10-man Gateshead
Kwame Thomas headed Aldershot into the National League play-off places in a 1-0 win away to a Gateshead side who played almost half the match with a defender deputising in goal.
Gateshead had goalkeeper Nathan Harness sent off in the 47th minute for bringing down James Daly outside the box and, with no stopper on the bench, Louis Storey went between the posts for the rest of the night.
Storey made a good save to keep out Cian Harries’ free-kick in the 51st minute, but could do nothing as the visitors took the lead 10 minutes later.
Thomas got on the end of a looping cross from Josh Barrett to head in, and it proved enough for a win that puts them one point above FC Halifax, who host Oldham on Thursday.
Respect the process – Cesc Fabregas committed to long-term plan at striving Como
Cesc Fabregas says Italian club Como must remain committed to their long-term plan even if their progress is expedited by winning promotion to Serie A this season.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder is assistant manager at the lakeside club and, working under Welshman Osian Roberts, has guided them into the automatic promotion positions in Serie B.
They currently have a three-point lead over third-placed Venezia and if they do not falter in their final five games they will return to the top flight of Italian football for the first time since 2003.
The club have been declared bankrupt twice since then, but the 2019 takeover by Indonesian company Djarum Group heralded a new dawn.
They are owners with big ambitions and they sought out advice from people in the game, with Thierry Henry and Fabregas becoming minority shareholders, while former England international Dennis Wise has also acted in an advisory role.
Fabregas is currently earning his full coaching badges and his goals are aligned with the club’s.
Returning to the top tier of Italian football has always been the plan, with further ambitions of titles and European football in the coming years.
But Fabregas insists that will only happen if they “respect the process”.
“We are pushing, we have a clear vision of where we want to go, where we want to get, we know who we are,” he told the PA news agency.
“We know where we are at the moment and we need to respect the process, take the right steps.
“We are working well, people are very dedicated, the owners are investing well and smartly.
“We are all on the same page, evolving every single week to try and create this family, this union, let’s see where we are at the season.”
When Fabregas joined Como as a player in the summer of 2022, it could have been easy to think he was easing into retirement in an idyllic part of the world.
View this post on InstagramBut that would not be fitting with his work ethic and drive, which sees him one day wanting to be a manager in his own right.
“I agree that Como is beautiful but if I am being honest my life is work, home, work, home,” he said.
“Then when I am home I try to be with my family. Even if I was at the end of the world or in another place my life would not change that much.
“Como is beautiful, we appreciate it so much but my job and my life doesn’t change too much.”
Pete Wild fumes at ‘outrageous’ penalty as Barrow held by Crawley
Furious Barrow manager Pete Wild criticised the award of Crawley’s penalty in his side’s 1-1 draw at the Broadfield Stadium as an “outrageous, ludicrous decision”.
Striker Emile Acquah headed Barrow into the lead shortly before the interval but Danilo Orsi’s 20th goal of the season from the spot midway through the second half dragged Crawley level and kept them in the play-off places along with their opponents.
Wild severely criticised referee Sam Purkiss for “taking 20 seconds” to make the penalty decision for a handball by Rory Feeley, and he answered in the affirmative when asked if he thought the linesman had made the decision because the referee had not seen it.
Said Wild: “We were outstanding, especially with what we’ve gone through (losing three games in a row).
“It was a classic Barrow performance, solid at the back and threatening on the counter-attack.
“That was very pleasing but then it’s all ruined by an outrageous, ludicrous decision that was made without any thought.
“It’s ruined it for us after scoring a great goal.”
Wild was mystified why referee Purkiss took the time he did in deciding to give a penalty, and added: “It took 20 seconds to make that decision, why was that?
“There were two more crosses going into the box in that time before the decision was made.”
Crawley’s point came after two successive defeats and boss Scott Lindsey felt his men did everything they could to try and force victory.
He said: “We did everything possible to try and win a game of football.
“We were up against a strong, defensive unit in Barrow and if we perform like that in our last two games we’ll be fine.”
Seventh-placed Crawley hold a one-point advantage over Walsall and Lindsey believes his side are the “calmest” team in the play-off places owing to them being written off as “relegation fodder” at the start of the season.
He said: “We are the calmest because we are not supposed to be there. It is still in our hands and we are not worrying about other teams.”
Lindsey admitted he was “angry” about the booking of midfielder Jay Williams as he claimed Purkiss “booked the wrong player” and Williams will now miss the last two games.
The former Swindon boss said: “I’m angry about that as Jay has done so well for me.
“Jeremy Kelly made the foul but Jay won the tackle and yet he was booked. It’s the wrong decision, it’s not fair and should be looked at.”
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