Advertisement

Premier League winter break branded pointless after FA Cup replays scheduled during window of rest

Southampton's FA Cup replay against Tottenham will take place on February 5 - Southampton FC
Southampton's FA Cup replay against Tottenham will take place on February 5 - Southampton FC

The Premier League’s inaugural winter break has been described as pointless after players discovered that FA Cup fourth-round replays will be played during their supposed window of rest.

Whereas the Bundesliga’s winter break in Germany lasts from Dec 22 until Jan 17 - a gap of almost four weeks - the Premier League’s planned two-week effort has been further reduced to as little as nine and 10 days between some first-team fixtures.

Tottenham’s replay against Southampton will take place on Wednesday, February 5 and they are respectively then back in Premier League action on Feb 15 and 16.

Southampton have already had to reschedule their flights for a prepared break for the players and their centre-back Jack Stephens questioned the point of introducing a break that can then be so easily interrupted with another fixture.

“It’s a strange time to have a break if you’re going to have a replay,” said Stephens. “It seems a little bit daft. If you’re going to have a break, then we need to have a break. If we’re not going to have a break, then let’s not have a break. There is no point in having a break and then having an FA Cup replay slap bang in the middle.”

Several leading managers have already called for FA Cup replays to be scrapped, with the Premier League and Football Association having attempted to create a break ahead of Euro 2020 without reducing the overall fixture burden for the vast majority of clubs. There will be no replays this season in the FA Cup fifth round.