Now that Spain have finally lifted the World Cup trophy in New Jersey, the dust settling on a remarkable tournament, the Premier League's biggest club...
Now that Spain have finally lifted the World Cup trophy in New Jersey, the dust settling on a remarkable tournament, the Premier League's biggest clubs are already feeling the aftershocks. The question every manager in the division will be asking themselves is simple: how much did that summer of football cost us Let's not kid ourselves. The physical and emotional toll of a seven game tournament, played under the searing heat of an American summer, isn't something you shake off in a week of light jogging and set pieces.For the sides with a heavy Spanish or Argentinian contingent, the problem is acute. Take Manchester City, for instance. Their star midfielder, the heartbeat of their transitional play, played every minute of the final. Now he lands back in Manchester with a winner's medal but also with legs that have logged three seasons' worth of miles in one summer. Pep Guardiola will have to manage him like a priceless vase, rotating him early in the season, perhaps even sitting him out for a tricky trip to a well drilled low block outfit. That's the kind of tactical flexibility the manager will need to summon from the very first whistle. You want clinical finishing in the Champions League Then you'd better protect the engine room.And it's not just the winners. The losers, Argentina, will be nursing a deep psychological wound. That squad is full of Premier League talent, players who stared down glory and got a good look at the colour of the pitch before it was snatched away. They'll come back into domestic duty with a point to prove, which is dangerous for the opposition. But there's a flip side to that coin. Squeaky bum time in the final quarter of a tight Premier League game isn't eased by a memory of a missed chance on the biggest stage. Some of these players will carry that ghost with them. Expect a few early season stutters from the beaten finalists, especially in the first month when the crowd turns sour.The real test, though, is for the squads that went deep but failed to bring the trophy home. They have the fatigue without the high. They've missed pre season entirely. Their managers have had to plan entire systems on paper without a full squad. That's a recipe for a sluggish start, for players who look a yard off the pace, who misplace a simple pass because their brain is still on a flight from Newark. The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal all have significant representation in those latter stages. Their fans might be clamouring for immediate titles, but the fixture computer won't wait for tired legs to recover. The first international break in September cannot come soon enough.But let's not be entirely gloomy about it. There is a romance to this chaos. A player who has just won a World Cup brings a belief into the dressing room that no amount of coaching can replicate. He walks onto the pitch knowing he has beaten the best. That swagger, that slight arrogance, can be infectious. For the lucky few, the summer in America will be a springboard. For the rest, it will be a survival test. The Premier League season, as ever, will be a marathon disguised as a sprint. And the race has only just begun.
