CITY FIXTURE FURY
CITY say the ‘sporting integrity’ of the Premier League must be protected after a Christmas fixture list that has disadvantaged the Blues – and potentially handed Liverpool a helping hand.
City’s game at Wolves has been pushed back from Boxing Day to December 27, kicking off at 7.45pm. That gives them less than 48 hours to prepare for their game at home to Sheffield United, now set for 6pm on December 29.
ED Woodward has bullishly defended United’s structure by claiming it is an ‘insult’ to suggest that the club is run by non-footballing figures.
Executive vice-chairman Woodward has branded it a ‘myth’ that non-football people make the football decisions at United – and insists the commercial side has never taken precedence over football matters.
Pressure has intensified on Woodward in recent months with United two points above the relegation zone in the Premier League
Not only will they have a tighter turnaround than nearly every other club in the league, the fixture change also leaves Wolves short of time to get ready for a trip to Anfield.
Liverpool will have had an extra 24 hours of rest ahead of their home game against Nuno’s side, who will have to turn themselves round for a 2pm kick-off on December 29.
Omar Berrada, chief operating officer at City, told M.E.N. Sport exclusively: “We’re disappointed that the schedule is so tight for the players over Christmas. Premier League with nine points from their first eight fixtures. At the annual all-staff meeting in one of the suites at Old Trafford, Woodward addressed around 400 club employees – including Solskjaer – and went on the offensive. “The reality of Manchester United is we are a club in two parts,” Woodward said. “First of all, we are an incredible 141-year footballing institution with all that history, all that legacy, all that tradition and that tradition of success. That can never, ever change. We need to keep that protected.
“Then, like other football clubs, our games are a huge physical demand and it’s not ideal to be made to play twice in less than 48 hours because it doesn’t give the players time to properly recover.
“We obviously understand that the paying rights-holding broadcasters are an important consideration when it comes to scheduling, but we also need to make sure that we protect the players’ wellbeing, the sporting integrity of the league and the quality of the product.” commercial business allows us to reinvest in the football side. It’s how these two interact with each other at Manchester United that results in us having a competitive advantage in this area. What’s important is the commercial side is never allowed to take priority over the football side. There is a myth that we have non-football people making football decisions and I think it’s insulting to the brilliant people who work on the football side in this club.
“Ole’s vision maps exactly to the core three football objectives we have: We must win trophies, we must play attacking football and we must give youth its chance.
“Last season we were the Premier League’s leading club in terms of the most match minutes given to our own academy graduates. There’s a lot more we need to do in that but that’s coming in the next few years. This remains the heart of the club.
“Ole has also instilled the discipline back into an environment where we may have lacked it in recent years. He is building a squad that respects the club’s history.”