Arsene Wenger criticized the grueling schedule that has forced Arsenal to play three games in the space of just seven days.
Wenger’s side on Monday eased to a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League thanks to Alexandre Lacazette’s brace at the Emirates Stadium in London, but Wenger and his players had little time to reflect on that success before they boarded a flight to Belarus for tomorrow’s UEFA Europa League clash with BATE Borisov.
Once that draining trip is out of the way, Arsenal have been given only 48 hours to recover before they are due to host Brighton and Hove Albion early on Sunday.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Wenger is frustrated by the way the Premier League fixture planners give in to the demands of television broadcasters without considering the effect it has on players.
Asked if he would field a weaker team against Borisov in Europe’s second-tier tournament, Wenger said: “I have a decision to make. At the moment I would say the schedule for us is a bit cruel.”
“We play Monday night, we play in Borisov on Thursday and we play Sunday morning,” he said. “We have to accept it, but I will go with a team of senior players and certainly a young bench.”
In the midst of such a busy week, Wenger was relieved to see off obdurate Albion, who could have taken the lead, but had an early penalty appeal turned down before Lacazette opened the scoring with a 20th-minute header.
Lacazette doubled Arsenal’s lead with a second-half penalty awarded for Allan Nyom’s foul on Aaron Ramsey.
With four goals since his move from Olympique Lyonnais, the France striker is starting to repay his hefty price tag.
“He’s not only a goalscorer, his link up play is good, he fights as well,” Wenger said. “He’s not fazed by the physical challenges West Brom gave us. Overall he adapts very well.”
The turning point in the match was referee Bobby Madley’s decision not to award a penalty when Jay Rodriguez appeared to be fouled in the first half. Even Wenger conceded it could have been given.
“The referee gave the advantage, but the decision is defendable from both sides. It could have been a penalty,” he said.
Albion manager Tony Pulis was livid with the decision and had still not cooled down by the time he spoke to the media.
“Obviously, we believe it’s a penalty, but we haven’t had a penalty for over a year,” Pulis said. “Facts are facts. The great thing is that everybody has seen it. He still wanted to score, but once he has missed the referee should pull it back. It could be a penalty and they could have a player sent off, so we not only score, but are against a team down to 10 players.”
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