Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has criticized the Premier League’s playing schedule amid rising cases of positive COVID tests among players and officials.

On Monday, the Premier League recorded its highest number of Positive COVID-19 cases, after 103 new player and staff cases were recorded on Monday, 13 more than the previous week’s record.

This total came from a total of 15,186 tests carried out between the 20th and 26th of December as part of the Premier League’s new daily testing schedule.

Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp joined the statement of Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel to complain about the schedule and the fixtures congestion experienced in the Premier League.

“The situation should not be like this. I know so many people think it’s tradition and we want to play on Boxing Day, we could have played on Boxing Day, and that would have been no problem at all. But playing on the 26th and the 28th is just not right, I just say that because it’s true, and I think we can find solutions for that. It’s not that difficult to play football in a slightly different way.” Klopp said ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Leicester City on Tuesday in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Manchester United held Newcastle to a 1-1 draw on Monday evening as Edinson Cavani’s 71st-minute strike cancelled out Saint Maximin’s seventh-minute opener in the game. This is Ralf Rangnick’s first draw as coach of Manchester United.

The result keeps Newcastle two points away from safety, albeit seventeenth placed Watford have played three games less.

Manchester United, on the other hand, are out of the top six with seven points behind Arsenal, who sits in fourth.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Crystal Palace will host Norwich City, Southampton will welcome Tottenham, Leicester and Liverpool will play, and West Ham will be the guests of hosts Watford.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu