Chelsea face an enormous fixture pile-up, as well as the possibility of three games against Manchester United in the space of two weeks, if they are to complete an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies.
With both clubs advancing to the FA Cup semi-finals on Monday night, their scheduled league clash on April 15th at Stamford Bridge has been moved to become the penultimate game of the league season on May 9th.
It had been suggested Chelsea's heavy schedule could have been eased by playing the United match in the week before the FA Cup final, but the Premier League yesterday ruled all clubs must complete their league campaign on the same date.
If United maintain their six-point lead by the time they play Chelsea, the title is likely to be virtually secure because of their superior goal difference. Chelsea face Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton in the last nine days of the league season. This situation could be further complicated if Tottenham ask to move the scheduled league match against Chelsea on April 7th which comes just two days after their current date to play the Uefa Cup quarter-final against Sevilla.
Tottenham's match against Sevilla, however, may still be moved and it is understood Spurs are unlikely to be granted any request to postpone the league match with Chelsea. The knock-on is Tottenham's game the following Monday against Blackburn is likely to be put back to avoid Martin Jol's team playing three times in five days.
The Premier League also yesterday confirmed Manchester United's match against Sheffield United on April 10th had been put back until April 17th because of United's Champions League quarter-final.
Jose Mourinho believes the annual fixture congestion in English football is harmful to the clubs' chances of success in Europe. "This period, April/May is unbelievable - how can we get into this situation? We go to every country, and every club involved in the top European competitions, they have a much better situation to deal with than the English teams," he said.
Mourinho is bullish, however, about the club's chances of maintaining their push for silverware on four fronts. "We have never played with our best team, never all this season," he said. "But when we play with a team similar to our best team, we show what we can do. In December and January, I almost played centre-back. Those months reflect the points we lost."
