Manchester City were left infuriated by the Premier League’s lack of proactivity around rearranging games after failing in a bid to switch matches across the last fortnight of the season.
Pep Guardiola’s side will play three times in seven days before the final weekend of their tense title tussle with Arsenal.
City host Crystal Palace on May 13 before the FA Cup final against Chelsea and then go to Bournemouth on May 19.
They were negotiating with the league about the possibility of reversing the Palace and Bournemouth fixtures, the complexities of which would have meant an ability to spread the trio of matches across eight days instead.
But amid opposition from rival clubs, City failed with their request and are disgruntled by the way in which the drama has unfolded.
The key element of complaint centres on the Palace rearrangement. The original date of that game landed on the Carabao Cup final weekend, which City advanced to on February 4.
Manchester City have been left livid after the Premier League rejected their latest fixture swap request in order to spread their games out
City sources argue that the Premier League had plenty of time to organise an alternative date that did not impinge on the final throes of the run-in.
There is also bafflement at how the trip to Burnley was immediately slotted in around the FA Cup semi-finals and City say the principle of rescheduling games at the earliest possible opportunity has not been followed.
The league referenced that all semi-finalists ought to play in the first available midweek before the game at Wembley, although City insist the league handbook makes no reference to that.
City put forward three different midweeks to play Palace, the most logical of which was the week beginning April 19, which would have allowed for Burnley away to be slated seven days later.
The league had apparently indicated that Palace’s visit to the Etihad Stadium during the third week of April could suffice before then announcing that Oliver Glasner’s side would host West Ham on a Monday night, scuppering those plans.
City had also put forward the prospect of going to Bournemouth on Thursday, May 21 but that was rejected despite initial reception to the idea.