A closer look at the fixture congestion faced by Man City in May | OneFootball

Manchester City are understood to be frustrated by fixture congestion in the concluding weeks of the season following the rescheduling of two Premier League games.

Here, the Press Association analyses the situation.

What they face

City feel their bid to complete a domestic treble has been hampered by the rearranging of games against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth either side of the FA Cup final next month. The revised schedule means they will play three times in seven days from May 13-19, before their season concludes at home to Aston Villa on May 24. While the changes were necessitated by City’s progress in both domestic cups, and complicated by Palace’s involvement in the Europa Conference League, the club believe alternative dates were available.

How title race rivals compare

By contrast, title rivals Arsenal – who hold a three-point lead at the top of the table having played a game more – face a lighter run-in. While City must play four times after the weekend of May 9-10, the Gunners are presently scheduled to play just two matches – at home to Burnley on May 18 and at Palace on May 24. That could change if they reach the Champions League final on May 30 though, and Arsenal could point out they have their own congested spell, playing three games in seven days from April 29-May 5 while City have an eight-day break.

How it compares to previous years

Fixture congestion is nothing new, but the build-up to the FA Cup final is notably tighter than in previous seasons. City will have just two clear days to prepare for their Wembley meeting with Chelsea on May 16. When they completed the domestic treble in 2019, the final was the last game of the season and they had five clear days to prepare. The same gap applied in 2023 and 2024, and it stretched to six days last year.

Guardiola relying on deep squad

Such demands are often viewed as the price of success, and City’s squad depth is expected to be tested. Manager Pep Guardiola has already acknowledged he will need to rotate. He said: “I need the squad, we need the squad. We need all of them. We cannot play this amount of games – every three days, every three days – with the same players. It will not be possible.”