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Arsenal: The crazy schedule ramifications from Man City postponement
Arsenal’s match on Wednesday night against Manchester City has been postponed due to the coronavirus. The decision has some crazy schedule ramifications.
Late on Tuesday night, Arsenal released an official club statement stating that Wednesday night’s match against Manchester City would be postponed due to fears that some players and coaches had contacted the coronavirus after it was announced that Olympiakos owner, Evangelos Marinakis had recently contacted COVID-19.
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It is the correct decision, and the players and coaches will remain in self-isolation for the remaining two days of the 14-day period following their initial contact with Marinakis. The weekend’s match against Brighton and Hove Albion is still scheduled to go ahead, as Brighton confirmed on Wednesday morning, though as the hit rate for the coronavirus increases, all sporting events will be cast into doubt.
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That the City match was already a re-arranged fixture following their appearance in the EFL Cup final two weeks means that Arsenal’s upcoming schedule is set to become extremely squashed — in fact, there is a chance they might not be able to squeeze all these games in before the end of the season.
With every weekend currently full between now and the end of the season, the City match must be rearranged into a midweek slot. Between now and the end of the season, there are nine midweek slots:
- March 17th/18th
- March 24th/25th
- March 31st/April 1st
- April 7th/8th
- April 14th/15th
- April 21st/22nd
- April 28th/29th
- May 5th/6th
- May 12th/13th
The final weekend of the Premier League season is currently scheduled for May 16th/17th.
But of these nine slots, many cannot be used. There is an international break scheduled in the last week of March and the first week of April. This removes the March 24th/25th and March 31st/April 1st slots.
Man. City play Real Madrid on March 17th. If they hold onto their 2-1 first-leg advantage and move through to the quarter-finals, those legs will be played on April 7th/18th and April 14th/15th. Should they win in the quarter-finals, the semi-finals will be played on April 28th/29th and May 5th/6th. That rules all out of those midweek slots.
This leaves just two midweek slots in which the City match can be played: April 21st/22nd and May 12th/13th, which would be the midweek slot before the final weekend of the season and is hardly the most ideal time.
But that is just half of the problem. Arsenal already have an upcoming postponed match against Southampton to rearrange after their qualification for the FA Cup quarter-finals. On March 22nd, the Gunners play Sheffield United, meaning the Southampton match must now move into a midweek slot, too.
And should Arsenal qualify for the FA Cup semi-finals with a win over Sheffield United, the semi-finals are scheduled to be played on the weekend of April 18th/19th, when there is already a scheduled Premier League match against Leicester City. That would mean three Premier League matches in need of rearrangement and only two midweek slots to squeeze them in.
Moreover, all of this comes under the general could of uncertainty that the coronavirus is — and likely only will further — causing. Games this weekend are in jeopardy, as is the entire season should the number of people having contacted the virus continue to exponentially increase.
The decision to postpone the City match was the right one. But it will have some crazy ramifications on the remainder of Arsenal’s season schedule, consequences that might force Mikel Arteta’s side to play three games per week for the rest of the year. The health of the players, coaches and the general public should always come before football, of course, but should the season be played out, the Gunners might end up at a disadvantage.
Next. Arsenal Vs Manchester City: Coronavirus postponement the right decision. dark
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.