Dates for the Diary

What does competing in the Champions League and Europa League mean for the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Wolves?

Well, it’s a very good question. One that many FPL enthusiasts will be pondering and trying to figure over the coming days/weeks.

Given we are in the early stages of pre-season and many FPL managers will be deservingly appreciating the Caribbean-esk sunshine, whilst sipping on an ice-cold beverage. I thought I would save you the headache and do what all mentors do best by guiding you through this predicament. So, sit back, slap on some factor 50 and crack open another drink. This one is on me.

Let’s start with the Premier League’s AGM (Annual General Meeting) that took place on Thursday the 6th of August. It was decided in principle that all clubs should have a set minimum amount of time off, prior to the start of the new season. A 30-day break was provisionally approved, which could see the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Wolves having a staggered delay to the start of the season. Thus, missing Game week 1 at the very least should all three clubs advance into the semi-finals of the Champions League and Europa League.

CHELSEA

Chelsea’s situation differs slightly due to their Champions League exit yesterday at the hands of a rampant Bayern Munich. As the Premier League is scheduled to kick-off on the 12th of September, this allows Chelsea to have a 34-day break. Meaning any Chelsea assets you were considering should have a fixture in Gameweek 1.

The circumstances for City, United and Wolves differ to Chelsea’s situation because all three clubs will continue to compete in Europe. Although the usual 2-legs have been scrapped in favour of games being played over 1 leg and on neutral ground (CL games to be played in Portugal, EL games to be played in Germany).

MAN UTD & WOLVES

United face Copenhagen this evening in the Europa League quarter-final. If they lose, they will have 33 days to recuperate, therefore exceeding the minimum 30 day break and should be set to play in Gameweek 1.

A win would see them advance to the Semi-Finals which will be held on 16th August against either Sevilla or Wolves.

If United lose in the Semi-Final, this would mean they only have 26 days rest prior to the season start, and ultimately missing game week 1.

Should United get to the Final which will be held on August 21st, there is a chance they could miss the first two Gameweeks of the FPL season, with a couple of double gameweeks to be scheduled in somewhere later down the line, with what already looks like a hectic schedule.

Wolves face Sevilla on Tuesday evening, and similarly to United, should Wolves lose, they will have 31 days to recover for the Premier League opener and feature in Gameweek 1.

If they win and reach the Semi’s, they will likely miss Gameweek 1. Reaching the Final means they could potentially miss the first two Gameweeks. Again, double gameweeks could be on the cards for Wolves.

MAN CITY

City have just cemented their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after knocking out European giants Real Madrid in the last 16 (with a little help from Varane) and have teed up a clash with Memphis Depay’s Lyon. The match will take place next Sunday (16th August) meaning City would only have 26 days rest before the restart and therefore missing Gameweek 1.

Should City advance to the Semi-Finals on August 19th, they will face either Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

A loss at this point would mean they only have 23 days until the Premier League start and could miss one Gameweek.

Furthermore, getting to the Final on August 23rd would see City have just 19 day’s rest until the Premier League opener. With a very high probability of missing the first two weekends of the Premier League.

Digested all of that? I know it can seem fairly complicated with lots of “if’s” and “but’s”.

We find ourselves in a bit of a conundrum from an FPL perspective and that is without taking into account the chaotic fixture schedules to follow, with Europa League kick-starting the 20/21 group stages as early as October 20th.

SPURS

Which means bad news for Tottenham, as Arsenal’s triumph over Chelsea in the FA Cup final now means Spurs will have to play a Europa League second-round qualifier as early as September 17th (less than a week after the Premier League kicks off). Followed by the third round qualifier on September 24th, and then the play-offs on October 1st. All before making the group stages.

COMMUNITY SHIELD

League champions Liverpool will go head to head with Arsenal on August 29th.

INTERNATIONAL BREAK

Yep, that’s right, there is an International Break scheduled for September 2nd until the 10th.

SUBSTITUTIONS & VAR

It’s also worth noting that the Premier League AGM also voted to scrap the 5 substitutions rule that was recently introduced. This was something I anticipated to remain, given how heavy the fixture schedule will be, with very little rest for some players over pre-season. In other news, VAR was unanimously voted to remain by shareholders.

SUMMARY

To summarise, the teams in European action have a gruelling schedule ahead, whereas the team’s that finished their seasons on July 26th, would have had 47 days rest prior to the season start.

It looks like this pre-season will be very different from what we are used to seeing. It’s already significantly shorter than what it would usually be, so I wouldn’t expect much action in terms of friendlies.

Pre-season friendlies could previously be used as a bit of an indicator to how teams may set up, or you may identify a player or two on a hot streak that you feel may take that form into the season start. But it doesn’t look like friendlies are going to be as insightful this time around. Hopefully, this article was?

Now, where’s that bottle opener!