The Qatar World Cup marked the first time the tournament has ever been staged midway through a football season.
Elite level football teams are experiencing a thorough increase in injuries to their top talents, with it hindering some teams’ current season, what impact did the long season have on players?
Elite level football teams are experiencing a thorough increase in injuries to their top talents, with it hindering some teams’ current season, what impact did the long season have on players?
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00:00 The World Cup in Qatar marked the first time the tournament has ever been staged midway
00:07 through a football season.
00:09 This meant a chance for many teams to take a half-season break and for those that didn't
00:14 travel to the Middle East to represent their country, a chance to recuperate.
00:19 For those that did travel, however, it meant an even longer season was ahead, especially
00:24 for those that went further in the tournament.
00:27 "I think it definitely has had an impact.
00:30 Obviously we've had this summer six, seven weeks to get away from it all and that should
00:35 be enough typically for players to get back to getting into their lifestyles and getting
00:41 a break from football.
00:42 They've had that, but when you have that on the back of such a long season with so many
00:46 games you almost need longer."
00:50 Out of the Premier League clubs, Manchester City had the most players that featured in
00:54 the World Cup, with 16 of Pep Guardiola's side heading to Qatar.
00:59 Julian Alvarez went all the way with Argentina, meaning it was an immensely quick turnaround
01:03 for him as Premier League action resumed just days after the World Cup final.
01:09 "From my perspective covering the two Manchester clubs, I mean you mentioned yourself there,
01:14 I think they both had something like 15, 16 players at the World Cup last year.
01:17 They both had extremely long seasons that went beyond the Premier League season.
01:23 Between the two of them they were in four cup finals as an example."
01:25 "I think we knew going into that World Cup, an unusual time, it was definitely going to
01:29 have an effect on players.
01:31 We've seen, not even related to the World Cup, but with European congestion as well
01:35 and all the cup competitions in this country, Virgil van Dijk, Rafa Varane, Mane Ison, Liverpool
01:41 players have come out, spoken about the congestion and how it's affecting their health."
01:47 Manchester United had 14 players travel out to Qatar to extend their season's fixture
01:52 count.
01:53 This season we have seen an abundance of United players suffer with injuries.
01:57 So how much of the long World Cup season could we blame for this issue?
02:02 "I think it would be obvious that the wear and tear does come if you play that many games.
02:07 So that is the concern.
02:08 I think the bigger concern in general is just where football is going.
02:12 You've got the Club World Cup, you've got the expanded World Cup, you've got the expanded
02:16 Champions League.
02:17 It doesn't seem to ever end.
02:18 I think we are approaching a point when players will have to say, 'No, look, something's got
02:23 to stop.'
02:24 "Looking at it, every three days teams are playing, if they're in Europe, and it's too
02:28 much, especially if you don't have that squad depth.
02:30 You've got disparity at Man City with so much money, Chelsea, Man United, and then you've
02:34 got the likes of Villa and Brighton who can't compete with that squad depth.
02:38 So it's definitely having its impact and it needs to be looked at in the future.
02:42 Surely you can't have another World Cup at that time of year."
02:47 With teams now suffering with injury and player absences following the long season, it made
02:53 clear that health and wellbeing of footballers must be looked into, and may have proven that
02:58 a mid-season World Cup should never be decided for again.
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