A senior Aston Villa executive has launched a stinging critique of the Premier League's scheduling, accusing the competition of showing favouritism to certain clubs over the demanding Christmas period.
Villa Forced Into Gruelling Away Double-Header
Damian Vidagany, the club's Director of Football Operations, has publicly questioned why his team must play two away matches within a punishing 72-hour window. This comes while several of the division's so-called 'big six' clubs enjoy the luxury of back-to-back home fixtures.
Villa secured an impressive 2-1 comeback win at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with Ollie Watkins scoring twice after Joao Pedro's opener. Instead of returning to Villa Park to host Nottingham Forest for the first time this season, Unai Emery's side must now travel to face league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
This arrangement is particularly unusual as Villa have already played Mikel Arteta's Gunners earlier this month. Manager Unai Emery had previously expressed his confusion, telling Birmingham Live: "The day 19 is not against Forest, which is the first half of the season. This is the only thing I don't understand."
Director of Football Labels Schedule a 'Mystery'
Vidagany has now amplified those concerns on social media platform X. He pointed out that Villa will begin the second half of the campaign without having faced every opponent at least once, due to this scheduling anomaly.
"Totally understand our manager," Vidagany wrote. "Why EPL brings a match day from 2nd half of season before matchday 19 has not a clear explanation. I asked to EPL people and they didn't tell us. So it is a mystery."
He then suggested the schedule disproportionately benefits some clubs. "The fact is that willing or not this makes more convenient the fixtures for certain clubs that are not travelling on this very busy Christmas period. I let you take a look which clubs are playing home both last and next match."
Vidagany insisted the travel burden would not be used as an excuse but conceded recovery is "much better" when playing twice at home. He concluded with a pointed remark: "It would be a disgrace if the fixtures become a political territory."
Big Six Clubs Benefit From Home Comforts
When a user on X listed Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool as all having two home games over Christmas, Vidagany responded sarcastically with a single word: "Random?" followed by a face-poking-its-tongue-out emoji.
The data supports the claim. During game week 18, while Villa travelled to Chelsea, the other clubs mentioned all played at home:
- Manchester United beat Newcastle United 1-0 at Old Trafford.
- Arsenal defeated Brighton 2-1 at the Emirates.
- Liverpool secured a 2-1 win over Wolves at Anfield.
All three clubs, plus Chelsea, will also be at home for game week 19. Chelsea host Bournemouth, Arsenal welcome Villa, Manchester United face Wolves, and Liverpool play Leeds United at Anfield on Thursday.
The upcoming clash at the Emirates is crucial for the title race. Arsenal currently top the table, holding a three-point lead over third-place Aston Villa. However, the Gunners' superior goal difference means they would likely stay above Villa even in defeat.
With Manchester City just one point behind Arsenal and playing Sunderland away on Thursday, Mikel Arteta will be acutely aware of the need for a positive result against a direct rival. Villa's challenge, meanwhile, is compounded by a schedule their hierarchy believes is fundamentally unfair.
