Mikel Arteta has criticised the Premier League after Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Everton, describing the team's schedule as 'terrible' due to a lack of recovery time between matches. The Gunners played Bayern Munich away in the Champions League on Wednesday, just days after an away trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, before facing Everton at 3pm on Saturday.
Goals from Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhaes secured all three points for Arsenal at home. Arteta made five changes from the 2-2 draw with Bayern, one of which was enforced, citing the need for freshness given the demanding fixture list.
Arteta's Post-Match Reaction
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Arteta said: "We are very happy with the victory, the performance and the week. We were given a terrible schedule. We have overcome every hurdle and I love the mentality of the team."
He also told Sky Sports: "In Munich, it was one of the most physical games we've played in four years, the shift that we put in was incredible and then we have to play on Saturday at 3pm so we needed those legs, that freshness as well. Players are in good moments and they need minutes. They all did really well."
Comparison with Manchester United
Manchester United, the other Premier League team to play an away match in Europe on Wednesday, have their weekend fixture scheduled for 4:30pm on Sunday, providing a longer turnaround. Unlike Arsenal, United do not have a Carabao Cup tie in midweek.
Arsenal travel to Fleetwood in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, potentially without Riccardo Calafiori due to injury. Arteta confirmed: "He had a slight issue. We don't know what it is. It seems very small."
Positive Outlook Despite Fitness Concerns
Aside from fitness issues, Arteta expressed satisfaction with the performance. After moving level with Manchester City at the top of the league, he added: "Really happy. We made five changes. We've had three games in less than six days so we knew how tough it was going to be.
"But I thought the team performed really well. I thought it was really active from the beginning, put a lot of pressure on the opposition. We had some problems to finish the actions but we scored from a set piece - the first one this season - and that gave us the confidence and composure to go and dominate the game. But until we scored the second goal, we knew it was game on."
