Thomas
Tuchel says he would be "very angry" if it was found that Premier League
clubs were abusing rules to get matches called off as Leicester's trip to
Burnley became the latest fixture to be postponed.
The fixture at Turf Moor - which was due to take place on Saturday - was
called off on Friday due to Covid cases and injuries within Sean Dyche's
Clarets squad.
It is the fourth Burnley match this season to be postponed due to Covid-19
but the first time the request has come from the Turf Moor club. The
relegation-threatened Clarets also had another fixture, against Tottenham,
postponed at short notice due to heavy snow.
But Chelsea boss Tuchel - who hit out at the Premier League in December
after it refused to grant Chelsea's request to have their game at Wolves
postponed following a number of Covid cases - questioned whether the rules
were being applied consistently.
"I strongly, strongly hope that's not the case, otherwise I would be very
angry," said Tuchel when asked if he felt Covid rules were being abused.
"We are doing everything to make games happen and we were made to play when
we thought maybe we should not. So I can only strongly hope the rules are
the same for everybody."
Chelsea have reported one positive Covid-19 test ahead of their trip to
Manchester City for Saturday's 12.30pm kick-off in the Premier League, with
Andreas Christensen now isolating.
The Denmark defender had only recently returned from a spell out injured.
Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante are, however, both in contention to be
involved, albeit with very little training time under their belts.
"We have one positive Covid test, with Andreas Christensen," Tuchel said.
"So he will be out for this game.
"To have the news that Andreas Christensen is again out after we waited so
long for him, and now he plays so, so strong, and again he's out. It's a bit
of a setback for everybody, for us mentally.
"We have Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante back, but it is Thiago Silva and
N'Golo Kante with one training session.
"You finally have players back, and it's just like catching fish."
The Premier League confirmed it had upheld Burnley's request to postpone
their game on Friday, with a statement reading: "The Premier League board
accepted Burnley's application as the club does not have the required number
of players available for the match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper),
due to Covid-19 cases and injuries."
Burnley saw three consecutive matches - against Watford, Aston Villa and
Everton - postponed last month due to Covid-19 cases within the opposition
camps.
The re-arranged match against Watford is scheduled to take place on Tuesday,
although that must now be in doubt.
Burnley were without seven players due to Covid-19 during last weekend's 2-1
FA Cup loss to Championship side Huddersfield, a match that was also missed
by Dyche, and have since seen Chris Wood join Newcastle.
Earlier this week, Leicester's game at Everton was postponed for a second
time with the Premier League stating they accepted the Foxes' application
"as the club do not have the required number of players available for the
match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper) due to Covid-19 cases,
injuries and players on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations."
Arteta repeats call for clarity
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has repeated his called for clarity on the
decision making behind coronavirus postponements and urged the authorities
to protect the integrity of the Premier League.
"The authorities have to take care of that, they make the rules. We don't
get enough information, about the reasons behind that," Arteta said.
"Over a month ago I asked for more clarity, there was always a possibility
when things opened how people were going to use.
"[I would like more clarity] on the reasons why we are postponing matches,
why some, and why not others, to main the integrity of the competition.
"This is happening in many different leagues, we have to focus on what we
can do in this to try to maintain the level of admiration for the Premier
League, we have to protect that."
The Arsenal manager has also indicated the Gunners may ask for Sunday's
north London derby to be postponed.
"We are having communications every single game about what the situation is
around the match for both sides. I always mention that we are willing to
play. Once we have a fair assessment of the squad and where we are, the
Premier League will make the decision. But from our side, we always want to
try to play."
Hasenhuttl: PL 'opened the door' to Covid
rules being twisted
In his press conference on Friday, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl was
strong on the lack of transparency for postponements and how the Premier
League is dealing with it.
He said: "They've opened the door, and you cannot be surprised that someone
is walking through now. I cannot say anything about the Covid situation
there because this is normally the reason why you cancel games.
"You have no view, no transparency, and you cannot say anything about that.
The rest is speculation.
"The Premier League has to handle this. This is why I say that players/new
signings shouldn't be allowed to play in cancelled games when they haven't
been there before this game was due to play. This is a problem they have and
it's hard to solve it at the moment."
Which Premier League games have been
called off?
Brighton vs Tottenham - Sunday December 12
Brentford vs Man Utd - Tuesday December 14 (now January 19, 8pm)
Burnley vs Watford - Wednesday December 15 (now January 18, 7.30pm)
Leicester vs Tottenham - Thursday December 16 (now January 19, 7.30pm)
Man Utd vs Brighton - Saturday December 18
Southampton vs Brentford - Saturday December 18; Southampton won re-arranged
game 4-1 on Tuesday January 11
Watford vs Crystal Palace - Saturday December 18
West Ham vs Norwich - Saturday December 18; West Ham won re-arranged game
2-0 on Wednesday January 12
Aston Villa vs Burnley - Saturday December 18
Everton vs Leicester - Sunday December 19 and Tuesday January 11
Liverpool vs Leeds - Sunday December 26
Wolves vs Watford - Sunday December 26
Burnley vs Everton - Sunday December 26
Leeds vs Aston Villa - Tuesday December 28
Arsenal vs Wolves - Tuesday December 28
Everton vs Newcastle - Thursday December 30
Leicester vs Norwich - Saturday January 1
Southampton vs Newcastle - Sunday January 2
Everton vs Leicester - Tuesday January 11 (as above, this game had already
previously been postponed from its original Sunday December 19 date)
Burnley vs Leicester - Saturday January 15
What are the Premier League rules around
postponements?
The 2021/22 Premier League handbook included Covid protocols and stated the
Premier League's board will "only permit the rearrangement or postponement
of a league match in exceptional circumstances".
The board make calls on a case-by-case basis, and by way of guidance the
Premier League says permission for a postponement will not be granted if a
club have 14 or more players from their squad list available.
However, after the postponement of a number of games in the weeks leading up
to Christmas, a new Premier League guide explaining match postponement
protocols was published.
And there, these factors are considered when deciding whether to postpone a
top-flight game:
1) The impact of COVID-19 infections on a club's squad, as well as injuries,
illness and those isolating, and the number of players available on the
squad list and any Under-21 players with appropriate experience. Where a
club cannot field 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper either from its squad
list or its appropriately experienced Under-21 players, the match will be
postponed.
2) The status of any COVID-19 outbreak within a club, including the number
of individuals affected, the sequence and source of infections and their
proximity to the match in question.
3) A club's ability to safely prepare its players in the lead-up to a match.
4) Medical advice as to whether there is any unacceptable risk to the health
and safety of players and staff by playing the match.
5) Any advice from UK Health Security Agency and other public bodies.
6) Any other exceptional circumstances.
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