Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has said Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are operating in “different worlds” compared to Premier League teams, pointing to player workload and freshness as key factors.
He made the remarks after contrasting the Champions League semi-final ties involving the French and German sides with his team’s draw against Atletico Madrid.
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PSG edged Bayern 5-4 in Paris, while Arsenal settled for a 1-1 result away from home.
Arteta linked the difference in attacking output to the physical demands placed on players in different leagues.
“To deliver that much quality, you have to be very fresh, and the difference in the leagues and the way they are competing is night and day,” he said.
“You just have to see a lot of stats around it. We are comparing two different worlds.”
Arsenal’s starting XI in the semi-final first leg have accumulated 32,508 minutes this season, the highest among the four teams involved. Atletico Madrid players have recorded 31,701 minutes, compared with Bayern’s 31,522 and PSG’s 29,968.
Domestic schedules also differ, with Premier League and La Liga clubs playing 38 matches, while Bundesliga and Ligue 1 teams play 34.
Several Arsenal players rank among the most used this season.
David Raya, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and William Saliba are all in the top five for minutes played among the four sides.
Rice alone has played 359 more minutes than Harry Kane this season.
“The quality of the two teams [PSG and Bayern], and especially the individual quality of players, I have never seen something like this,” Arteta added.
“But when I look at the number of minutes and the freshness of those players, I’m not surprised.
“How many players were available [for PSG and Bayern]? All of them, at their very best. That’s the most important thing.”
Arsenal have also dealt with injuries ahead of the semi-final. Kai Havertz was unavailable, while Martin Odegaard was forced off during the match in Madrid.
Bukayo Saka started on the bench after returning from an Achilles injury and earlier fitness issues.
In contrast, PSG and Bayern had most of their key players available, including Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for PSG, and Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz for Bayern.
Arteta also pointed to scheduling differences, noting that Ligue 1 postponed a fixture for PSG between Champions League ties.
When asked if similar adjustments could be made in England, he said: “If they can do that, that would be great.”
Fixture congestion has also affected Manchester City, who face a tight run of matches following schedule changes linked to domestic cup competitions.
