Frank Lampard complains about Manchester United advantage

Frank Lampard has complained about the advantage that Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have been handed over the festive period.

It is funny how the fortunes of Manchester United and Chelsea have had a complete turnaround over the past few weeks. At the start of the season, it was Frank Lampard’s team who were looking like title contenders while the Red Devils were struggling to keep the ball out of their own net.

Things have changed drastically since then though. Despite their elimination from the Champions League group stage, you’d feel that the United supporters are satisfied with their season till now at this point of time. On the other hand, Chelsea have managed just one win from their past five games and find themselves sliding further down the league table every week.

Lampard though believes that Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have been handed an unfair advantage when it comes to the fixtures.

As reported by the Express, the Chelsea manager:

"“The fact it’s two games in 48 hours is an important point for us because there are other teams who are challenging at the top of the League that play two games in three days.“Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool play two games in three days.“It’s counter-productive for the quality of the Premier League, it’s a risk for players if they are going to play both games at the top-end elite sport, everybody knows that.“I know sometimes the blame can be put on the broadcasters and I know that in conjunction with each other, and this was bounced around, it got decided that we play twice in 48 hours when other teams that are challenging at the top of the league play twice in three days, an extra 24 hours recovery.“I don’t see how it’s a fair playing field, I think it’s wrong and it’s not going to be the best for the players to play at their top level.“Don’t get me wrong, Aston Villa have the same problem but I’m just saying we are not getting the rest period that other teams are getting.”"

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It is a genuine concern that Lampard is raising here. It really is too much to expect teams to play two games within 48 hours. While fatigue is a definite concern, it also increases the chances of players picking up muscle injuries easily. If Manchester United were in the same position, Solskjaer would have surely been livid as well.

But it is a bit unfair on the Chelsea manager’s part to point out names of teams who are not in the same position as him. After all, the fixture list was not made by the clubs but those in charge of such matters.

United will get an extra day’s rest before facing Wolves on Tuesday. And while Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are not in their best form this season, they also find a way to raise their game against the top teams. As a result, Solskjaer will have to be very wary of the threat that they possess.