Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino won’t be the first to make these requests, nor will he be the last. Nonetheless, every time someone brings up this point, it’s noteworthy.
The Spurs boss said it’s “not fair” that Chelsea has two days extra to recover from their midweek Champions League game, while his side has a Thursday affair in Europa League play, giving them just two days off before their Premier League meeting on Sunday.
“To be fair, you need to compete in every competition with the same conditions as the opponent,” Pochettino pleaded to Sky Sports prior to Spurs’ trip to Azerbaijan to take on FC Qarabag. “I am not complaining. I only want to translate our feeling. I only want to bring attention to the conditions, that it’s not fair to have two days less recovery than the opponent.”
“My question is; why not be attentive and careful to try to help the team who needs to compete in Europe? It’s difficult because we need to manage a lot of things. We need to be clinical in how we assess our players because the jet lag is very important.”
The idea that the Europa League is more detrimental than it is an asset for teams that make it in. For Spurs, it can sap the team of energy as they push for a top four league spot and an in to the Champions League. For some mid-table sides who make it into the earlier rounds thanks to Cup wins or Fair Play berths, it can be a massive hurdle as the clubs focus on maintaining their Premier League status.
Pochettino isn’t asking for much from the Premier League, just even a few extra hours.
“Why not play on the Monday, or 4pm on Sunday, instead of 12pm?” Pochettino said. “It’s not much of a gap but in four hours you can rest a little bit more, you can sleep and recover after the long flight. Chelsea has two days more to recover. They play Tuesday, we play Thursday, and I think Jose Mourinho will agree that he has a little advantage to prepare for the game. But it’s not an excuse not to compete on Sunday and try to win the game.”