Sir Alex Ferguson’s dark mutterings about the fixture list formed a large chunk of Rafael Benítez’s infamous rant against the Manchester United manager’s “mind games” in January, but there is little in the 2009-10 fixtures to inspire conspiracy theories or provoke bitter fury.

It looks an easier start for the Barclays Premier League champions than last season, when they travelled to Anfield and Stamford Bridge in September and were in sluggish form until December. United also face fewer away games after Champions League ties than last term.

One inequality is that United, Liverpool and Arsenal (should Arsène Wenger’s team qualify) have three home and three away league fixtures immediately after Champions League group games, but Chelsea have five home and only one away. And two of United’s trips are to Chelsea and Liverpool. Still, Ferguson could reflect that there is always someone less fortunate than you: Burnley, for example. Their first top-flight campaign in 33 years opens with a journey to Stoke City. They then meet in succession four of last season’s top five.

Enough to make Owen Coyle, the Burnley manager, wish that he had taken the Celtic job? Not at all. “What a fantastic start to have,” he said. It does not come any tougher and we are under no illusions about how difficult it will be, But it is fantastic that we are even talking about it in the same breath as Burnley Football Club and we aim to make the most of it.”

There are no hyperbole-friendly weekends when each of the “big four” play each other and only two fixtures that might deserve the tag of “potential title-decider”: United versus Chelsea on April 3 and Liverpool versus Chelsea on May 1. Dauntingly, between January 30 and February 9, Arsenal face United, Chelsea and Benítez’s team, Liverpool.

The biggest issue may prove the “fixtures crunch” caused by extra European dates and the 2010 World Cup finals. Teams challenging on all fronts face punishing schedules that could force them to average eight games a month from December to April. Even allowing for squad rotation, that brings the risk of player burnout in a World Cup year. The African Cup of Nations in January will stretch resources. There will also be the usual shuffling to accommodate television.

The price of success could be three games in a week at some stage because the shortage of free midweek dates becomes acute in February and March. Expect managers to renew calls for all FA Cup replays to be scrapped and the governing body to resist for at least another year. The FA said that there was “no possibility of scrapping replays next season”.

Clubs still in Europe and the FA Cup will be desperate to avoid fifth and sixth-round replays because they will struggle to find a free night to play them. The most logical dates have been gobbled up by the continental competitions and the picture is complicated because March 3 is designated by Fifa for international fixtures.

“Teams such as Everton could be playing big matches within three days of each other,” Ian Todd, the president of the Football Supporters’ Federation, said. “The quarter-final second legs of the Europa League are on April 8 and the FA Cup semi-finals are scheduled for April 10-11.

“There could be a problem on March 16-17 because the date is shared between the Champions League first knockout round, second leg, and any FA Cup sixth-round replays.” As a member of the Fixtures Working Party, a body of representatives from the Premier League, Football League, FA, clubs and fans, Todd checks the list a few days before it is published. “I chuckle to myself at the idea of a mid-season break — where would you fit in more games?” he said. “There just aren’t any spare free weeks. It’s an annual problem but it’s been exacerbated by an early finish for the World Cup.”

Fifa forbids domestic action after May 16 to create a gap before the World Cup finals, which kick off on June 11. The Premier League season will end on May 9, two weeks earlier than last season, with the FA Cup Final on May 15 and the Champions League final on May 22.

The Premier League could have eased the squeeze by starting on August 8, like the Football League, but that would have been unpopular with clubs, who claim that their players need a longer break. So there are four midweek matches for each team, one more than usual. But it is not all bad news. “One of the things fans always complain about is long-distance travel,” Todd said. “This year it’s worked out probably better than ever before. No team has more than one long-distance journey in midweek. There should be fewer complaints.” From supporters, anyway.