The Premier League has been under fire in recent weeks following its 10-point suspension of Everton in an effort to crack down on rule violations.

In its 31 years of existence, the tournament has evolved rapidly to reach a stratospheric realm that has to go down as one of England’s finest productions. The 2021/22 season earned a record £5.5 billion in income, which is expected to rise as the years pass.

TV broadcasting rights provide for a considerable amount of the revenue, which helps to expand the game to ever-increasing audiences. These rights packages include the ability for broadcasters to choose which games are chosen for certain game slots.

Aside from the typical 3 p.m. blackout, TNT Sports now has control over which matches are shown in the Saturday midday period, while Sky Sports controls the most of the rest. Many Premier League managers are dissatisfied with the early kick-off hours.

Following a tie with Brighton in 2020, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had a memorable on-air confrontation with interviewer Des Kelly about the issue. The presenter correctly pointed out that the time slot debate was one for the Premier League, which provides coverage.

Klopp’s team is scheduled to fly to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday for a 12.30pm kickoff against Manchester City. Klopp has grumbled about the rapid turnaround for players returning from international duty, particularly those in South America.

“How can you schedule a game like this at 12.30 p.m. on Saturday?” “The people making these decisions cannot feel football, it is simply not possible,” Klopp stated. “And it is at this point that the entire world pays the most to watch a football game.”

“These two teams could have around 30 international players combined.” By the way, all of the South American players return on the same plane. We put them on the plane from Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia, and they all fly back together. One game, one plane, and they all return. All we have to do now is make sure we’re prepared for this game.”

This is what Pep Guardiola mentioned in September. Then, following the break last month, he chose to rest Ederson against Brighton due to his extensive foreign trips.

Guardiola had already lambasted the schedule after his team’s 3-1 win against West Ham. “These guys were playing 90 minutes for their national teams, and [Julian Alvarez] came all the way from Bolivia, and Ederson came all the way from Brazil.” It’s quite taxing for them.

“Just look at how many injuries there are across all teams.” Look at [Edson] Alvarez of West Ham, who is gone after 15/20 minutes of the second half.

“Why? He’s traveled 12 to 13 hours from South America to play against City. We do not treat the players well. We are completely reckless in our treatment of the players.”

Later same month, he urged players to take a stand against UEFA and FIFA in order to effect change, claiming that managers are not being heard. Given the rigorous post-Covid schedule, as well as a mid-season World Cup, it’s little surprise that clubs, including City, are suffering from so many injuries.

Perhaps Saturday’s game will be more about who can recover and regroup the fastest rather than who has the most precision.