Chelsea face Aston Villa 48 hours after taking on ArsenalLampard says request to delay Villa match was rejectedFrank Lampard has accused television broadcasters and the
Premier League of putting
Chelsea at a disadvantage to their title rivals, saying they rejected a request to give his team an extra day’s rest after facing
Arsenal on
boxing Day.
Furious that his side have to play twice in 48 hours over the festive period, Chelsea’s manager questioned why they have to host Aston Villa on Monday evening when
Liverpool,
Manchester United and
Tottenham have three days between their next two games. Villa, who host Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, also asked for their trip to Stamford Bridge to be moved to Tuesday and Lampard made his anger clear by saying that a lack of common sense risks harming player welfare and the league’s integrity.