We’re the real victims of fixture schedule

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists his team get no favours from the fixture schedulers as his team prepare for a crunch period of games which could make or break their season.

Wenger was responding to comments from Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who claimed last week the current Premier League leaders had an “influence” over their schedule.

Wenger was at pains to point out that is not the case and said an independent study had shown his side are actually the ones who suffer.

“It is simple. Look at the fixtures and analyse it. I trust you will give an objective view,” the Frenchman said.

“You will see Arsenal are behind all the other teams. In the last five years all the objective studies that have been made show Arsenal had less rest than any other team in the top four.

“That is facts. It has nothing to do with my opinion. It is an independent company that made (the study) that shows Arsenal had less rest than any other team in the top level.”

It is understood the study Wenger was referring to was internal analysis of Arsenal’s fixture programme.

It is not be the first time that Mourinho and Wenger have disagreed with each other — in fact it is not the first time this month, after the Portuguese said last week complaining is “normal” for Wenger in light of comments he made about Juan Mata’s transfer to Manchester United.

The exchange, though, is nothing to do with mind games, according to the Arsenal boss.

“It is not mind games. It is opinions. But I don’t live with opinions, I live with facts. And the facts don’t depend on me or Mourinho,” he said.

“It is depending on objective analysis. A day is 24 hours. And you count how many times you have rest between games. I did (not) make this study, it was made by an independent company. I cannot influence that.”

With Manchester City and Chelsea not playing until tomorrow night, Arsenal can open four and five-point gaps over their title rivals if they win at Southampton tonight, although that will not be easy against a side Wenger rates highly.

“The quality of their displays has been very good and everybody who goes today to Southampton knows that they will get a difficult game,” he said.

“That’s why we want to focus on being at our best on Tuesday night because Southampton on our plan is a game where you want to take the points, but you know we need to fight to get them.”

For his part, Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino expects tonight’s opponents to maintain their title challenge to the death.

He said: “Arsenal have got a great structure.

“They have got a squad with very talented players and the structure of the club allowed them to fight for the title until the end of the season. They will be there fighting for the title.”