Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is furious at the Premier League after his club are seemingly at a disadvantage in the title race.
A report in the Telegraph claims that Jose Mourinho has been left exasperated at the Premier League fixture list which has left his side with significantly less recovery time after their Champions League away fixtures than that of their rivals.
And while Jose Mourinho may not be every fans cup of tea, his complaints do seem to have some credence.
Mourinho’s United side play tonight in their second Champions League group stage game, an away tie against CSKA Moscow. They are not expected to arrive back in Manchester until 04:30 on Thursday morning before a training session later in the day. They are then back in action on 3pm on Saturday as they host Crystal Palace, a recovery period of 65 hours between fixtures which of course includes travelling time.
This situation is also repeated after United’s remaining two Champions League away fixtures against Benfica an Basel next month, a total of 195 hours of recovery, significantly less than his fellow Premier League title rivals.
Liverpool’s away game last night, also in Moscow, is followed up by an away fixture against Newcastle at 16:30 on Sunday, an additional 49.5 hours of recouperation for this weekend’s fixture alone. And it isn’t just Liverpool. Manchester United have less recovery time than all of the other English teams in the Champions League.
Here is a look at the total amount of recovery time each of the five Champions League teams face following their three Champions League away fixtures.
| Team | Total recovery time |
|---|---|
| Manchester United | 195 hours |
| Manchester City | 219 hours |
| Chelsea | 250 hours |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 290 hours |
| Liverpool | 321 hours |
Manchester United face a double header against Benfica next month, where Mourinho will no doubt be hoping to get maximum points and qualify for the knockout stages, and be able to rest players for the final two group games.