The Premier League’s daunting fixture schedule is approaching once again, with teams set for a gruelling workload over the festive period.
New Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick got his first taste of what Christmas in England is like for clubs after the Red Devils beat Crystal Palace just three days after defeating Arsenal.
“I was surprised, positively surprised because not only did we play on Thursday a late kick-off, we had two days less to recover compared to Crystal Palace,” he said.
“And we had not even a full training session to be honest because it was 45 minutes, it was pouring, it was not only Manchester weather, it was disgusting, heavily raining, windy, almost impossible to train.”
Here, Mirror Football looks at what Rangnick’s fellow Premier League bosses think of the English top-flight’s winter fixture list…
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should the Premier League get rid of the traditional Christmas fixture list? Comment below.
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Pep Guardiola – Manchester City
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has long been a critic of the festive schedule, insisting that players need longer to recover.
“We’re going to kill them. The federation bosses have to reflect a little bit. It’s not normal to play (December) 31st and two days later,” he said in 2018.
“I know the show must go on, but… that is not normal. They (the authorities) have to control it. They don’t protect the players and they are who the people come to watch.
“I’m not saying change Boxing Day (December 26) but you cannot play at midday at Selhurst Park, come back, celebrate New Year’s Eve but are thinking about the game two days later.”
Jurgen Klopp – Liverpool
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Much like his title rival Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp has also frequently blasted the hectic nature of Christmas, with this year no different.
“Players’ welfare is important but we’re used to a tough schedule. I don’t think we need to make too many changes at the start of December,” he said last week.
“December will always be crazy. Everything is fine until you reach Christmas. 26/28th is still not right to play.
“We accept that, we play, it’s tradition but it’s really tough. January is not better and the more successful we are in cups, it’s the same. So, it is a difficult two months ahead.”
Thomas Tuchel – Chelsea
This will be Thomas Tuchel’s first Christmas as Chelsea manager and the German is relishing the chance to be involved, having previously watched the games on TV.
“I’m looking forward to it. I love my job but it does not feel like a job. I am enjoying every day, being with the squad and the football team, I feel privileged,” he said.
“I love the game and very blessed that I can be part of a big football club, to live my passion. It is the first time I will play around Christmas and New Year.
“We had little breaks in France and Germany but what did we do? We watched Boxing Day games. I am aware of the schedule but it does not feel like a job. I am happy to be here.”
David Moyes – West Ham
With West Ham still in the Carabao Cup they face a particularly hectic schedule and boss David Moyes has previously advocated for a winter break to give players some rest.
“My preference would be to have a winter break here during the first two weeks in January,” he said while manager of Sunderland back in 2016.
“Christmas and New Year games have always been part of our culture and I don’t think we should change that.
“I would welcome a break as it would benefit players who have played a lot of games in December, giving them time to recuperate.”
Antonio Conte – Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte has experience of how busy December can be following a stint as Chelsea manager and previously revealed his excitement for having an excuse to miss Christmas shopping.
“It can be, and I hope it will be, a fantastic experience. I have this situation in England, and I heard a lot of coaches are disappointed, saying you should stop and have a winter break,” he said in 2017.
“The atmosphere we find in this period is very difficult to find in another period. It’s fantastic.
“I don’t like to buy gifts. I don’t like this. My wife does this. She is a fantastic person. “I don’t like going to the shops. My wife spends the right money, not a lot of money.”
Mikel Arteta – Arsenal
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Arsenal’s run of results last Christmas arguably saved Mikel Arteta’s job as Gunners boss, but the Spaniard is no fan of the December schedule.
“Financially football is going through a moment where it is difficult to have 25 to 30 players in a squad but if you don’t, you are just loading players all the time so we have to be very careful,” he said last week.
“I think the product in this country is magnificent still, but we have to maintain it and there are certain things in my opinion that have to be reviewed.
“At the moment it doesn’t look (like regulators are listening) because every time we are talking or discussing something, it is to do more and more and more.”
Bruno Lage – Wolves
Bruno Lage is looking forward to the test having previously experienced Christmas football in England during time as an assistant manager at Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday.
“That’s the big experience you can have. When I was in the Championship, that was a big learning because when you are there it’s like this, but all season,” he said at the start of the month.
“I think the most important thing is for us, for the staff, to prepare the best we can for the games. After that, we’ll see who is the best 11 to play each game.
“We have different people, we have to see how they recover and adapt to playing consecutive games. These next two months will be a good test for us.”
Graham Potter – Brighton
Brighton boss Graham Potter has consistently given a typically diplomatic answer to questions about the Christmas fixture list.
“The Premier League give the clubs a lot of resources so they can demand a certain type of schedule over the Christmas period, so I can understand it from a commercial point of view,” he said in 2019.
“It is the Premier League, it is the schedule, we have to adapt and deal with it. On the other hand, in terms of performances and maintaining a level it makes it difficult.
“I have heard Jurgen Klopp, Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho talk about it and they are all far more experienced than me and I don’t disagree with them.”
Steven Gerrard – Aston Villa
Having only recently taken charge of Aston Villa, this will be Steven Gerrard’s first Christmas as a Premier League manager.
He obviously has much experience of it from his time as a player at Liverpool, but is yet to comment since taking over from Dean Smith at Villa Park.
Brendan Rodgers – Leicester City
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Brendan Rodgers is another who has consistently added his voice to those unhappy with the Christmas fixture list.
“The game is about money now. You can’t say it’s about the welfare of players. You get that first day of recovery but it’s the second day where it’s really tough for a player,” he said in 2019.
“If we go along that route then the second day, instead of recovering, we’re kicking off at 5.30pm at West Ham. It’s just nonsense really.
“We can’t have the same team playing every single game, because we want to keep the energy in the team as much as we can.”
Rafa Benitez – Everton
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Spells as manager of Liverpool, Newcastle and Everton means that Rafa Benitez is well aware of how hectic Christmas in England can be, but he is still a fan of the busy fixture list.
“I remember when I was at Liverpool, I would always say that’s a crucial period, but it is true. You have so many games in a short period of time, and you don’t have time to recover,” he said in 2016.
“It’s really important to be sure that you’ve got a good squad – that you can rotate players, change players, and still do well.
“The fans enjoy this time, and we have to do well in it. Hopefully we can enjoy it after that period too.”
Thomas Frank – Brentford
This will be Brentford boss Thomas Frank’s first experience of Premier League football at Christmas, though the Championship has prepared him well.
“I think actually the head is the most important thing because you are capable of pushing yourself much more than you think,” he said recently.
“But of course, the fresher we can be physically, and the fresher we can be mentally, the better.
“We have been adding higher sprints and more sprint distance during the week to make sure we can cope and honestly, the players are looking forward to it, I’m looking forward to it.”
Patrick Viera – Crystal Palace
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Like Gerrard, this will be Patrick Vieira’s first Christmas as a Premier League manager, but the Crystal Palace boss has revealed it is a period he has long been planning for.
“We know what is going to happen, and we have a squad of 25 players. Obviously if I’m waiting until that period to get some players ready, it would be really difficult,” he said last month.
“This is something we have planned since the first game of the season. We always said that everybody would have an important part to play, and those games will give opportunities.
“We’re going through a period where there is a lot of games, so we need to find the right balance for the players to perform and the team to perform.”
Marcelo Bielsa – Leeds United
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Marcelo Bielsa has long been outspoken about some parts of the game and Leeds’ festive fixture list is no different.
“What is clear, the calendar is so overcharged it doesn’t bear in mind the development of the preparation,” Bielsa said last week.
“That’s why I have serious doubts over the future of professional football because it is constantly commercialised and the product every time is constantly worse.
“It’s considered to sell more games but it ignores whether teams are in better conditions to offer better results.”
Ralph Hasenhuttl – Southampton
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Though he has questioned the festive schedule like Klopp, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl last year insisted that he would not criticise it too fiercely.
“What I sometimes do not understand is 48 hours between two games, this is definitely something tough for the players,” he said last December.
“We had it last season also and still performed well, but it is not the best for the quality of the game, because the players cannot push like they normally want to.
“We don’t have this over Christmas, we have always two days between the two games, so this is okay for me. We take it as it is, never moaning about, I think it is the wrong signal to do it.”
Claudio Ranieri – Watford
Despite Watford ’s precarious position in the Premier League table, Claudio Ranieri is relishing the challenge of the December fixture list.
“It is life because when you stay in the Championship, the pressure is to come to the Premier League,” he said.
“These games are very important. Now starts our Premier League season and these months will tell us what we can do in the future.
“Our next match is important, but all these matches are important until Christmas Day. There is a very good battle between the other teams.”
Sean Dyche – Burnley
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One of the rare old-school managers in the Premier League, it is no surprise that Burnley boss Sean Dyche is a staunch defender of the traditional Christmas period.
“Depending on the fixtures it can be really taxing on the players, emotionally – the physical side is taxing anyway – but you want to relax and be with your families,” the Clarets chief said in 2017.
“On the other hand, they’re all aware of it. Most have been footballers for a while, and it’s all I’ve known all my life. You get used to it and appreciate it’s part of the fixture list.
“They actually enjoy it. The actual feel of Christmas games and the support of football over the period, a lot of them marvel at it and realise how it’s become so important and so traditional in this country.”
Eddie Howe – Newcastle United
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December is set to be a particularly important month for relegation battlers Newcastle and boss Eddie Howe has previously admitted his love for the busy fixture list.
“It is difficult for the players physically. The players will be fatigued and when you’re fatigued there is a lot higher injury risk,” he said in 2019.
“That would be my only question: are we creating a situation where players will get injured? But I’ve always said I love the Christmas schedule.
“I love the fact there are games. It’s part of what we do here in England, the crowd love it so let’s go and do it.”
Dean Smith – Norwich City
Norwich are another club in a perilous position at the bottom of the Premier League, but Canaries manager Dean Smith has previously hit back at those claim the players can’t cope at Christmas.
“We knew what we’d signed up for and our jobs as managers and head coaches is to manage our players appropriately,” he said while in charge of Aston Villa last December.
“I need no reminding but Aston Villa won the league in 1980/81 using only 14 players. It won’t be done again, no, but it shows you the capacity for players to play football matches is still there.
“I remember speaking once with (jockey) Tony McCoy and he said: ‘I have still not seen a footballer carried off a field with exhaustion yet.’”
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