Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger agrees with his Liverpool
counterpart Rafael Benitez that the fixture list unfairly favours
Manchester United.
According to the Daily Mail, Wenger feels Benitez has a point in
his complaint that the fixtures in the Barclays Premier League tend
to favour United. That was one of the central points in Rafa's
recent rant against United's manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Wenger is quoted by the Mail as saying: "I feel that next week
[Liverpool manager Rafael] Benitez has a case if you look at the
way the fixtures are arranged.
"You can say that Manchester United have been extremely advantaged,
unexplainably advantaged.
"But that is what we have to cope with. It is difficult to explain
why one team plays on Tuesday and the others are all on
Wednesday.
"It is unfair competition. Next week the fixtures are advantaged
for Manchester United, who before had a point against Liverpool - I
supported them when they had a case. But this week, I think Benitez
has a case.
"Manchester United play on Tuesday at West Brom, after they play
against Everton who will have played on Sunday, again on Wednesday
night.
"I do not think you need to be a specialist in football to
understand that in this case it is an unfair advantage for
Manchester United.
"Will it have an advantage on the global season? I don't know, you
would have to analyse that better.
"It is not Manchester United's fault, it is not Liverpool's fault.
It is the organisers of the fixtures. They have a case to
explain."