Country Over Club, The World Cup's Effect on the Title Contenders

The anticipation leading up to the World Cup is unlike any sporting spectacle in the world. The only comparison that can offer any resistance is the Summer Olympics when it comes to overall scale and grandeur. There's a multitude of statistics that could be brought up in regards to tourism and viewership around the world, however it would be entirely too subjective to start comparing the two.

That being said, the buildup to the World Cup is unparalleled to even the most anticipated Olympics. This is because years before the first whistle was blown in the Brazil vs. Croatia opener, nations across the globe were battling for 31 slots which are anything but a guarantee. Winning the trophy is hard enough but qualifying for the tournament is an entirely different monster. France and Mexico, two regulars in any World Cup, both gained entry by the skin of their teeth in a tense play-in game, and some help from the USA respectively. In Brazil both teams more than proved their worth in stellar campaigns, but it goes to show that the pressure this tournament brings can result in some of the best teams in the world watching group-stage matches from their couch.

Teams are constantly battling for entry into this prestigious event but the internal war is often just as strenuous. A place in the final traveling party of twenty three players isn't determined until a few weeks before teams fly out to the host nation. Nothing is guaranteed to even the best players on an international squad as Franck Ribery and Marco Rues would both attest too. Although this was entirely out of their control, it's still a prime example of just how stressful this process can be.

José Mourinho accused the Brazilian players on his Chelsea squad of becoming too distracted by the imminent World Cup towards the end of the club season. You can hardly blame him though as the Brazilian team poured their heart and soul into nearly every moment of the tournament (I only say nearly due to "Big Phil" Scolari drawing up a game-plan for a high school JV team because no one told him they were playing the best team in the world). Anyone can speculate over what's really happening with clubs such as Chelsea, with no shortage of international talent, but if the coach announces something like this publicly, then it's clearly become a significant distraction.

The country over club argument has gained quite some steam over the past few years as more and more players continue to forgo international friendlies during the heart of their club seasons. However, it can be assumed that any player in the world would rather have a World Cup title than any trophy he could win at the club level. So while the tournament serves as a major distraction in the months leading up, what does it imply for the start of the new Premier League campaign in a few weeks? The top dogs had much more players in action down in Brazil which typically goes without saying but it's even more noticeable when you see what teams had players who ran the furthest. Internationals on Arsenal ran a total of 199 miles, Manchester City 196 mi, Manchester United 202 mi, Tottenham 126 mi and Liverpool 103 mi. No team ran further than Chelsea who's players racked up a total distance of 271 mi.

If the World Cup is influential enough that players may have not been at their best in the weeks leading up, it could be assumed that it will be just as much of a problem afterwards. There's going to be the wear and tear of all that extra running, German players may be complacent now that they've reached the pinnacle of their sport, and Brazilian players may be suffering from a lack of confidence. It would be easy to say that managers have to be wary of this when they're integrating these players back in the team. However, the aftershock of the World Cup won't cause problems with this club campaign. Other than delaying some of the transfer window, players will have recovered by the time August 16th rolls around.

While on the topic of Chelsea they're an excellent example of how the World Cup won't have a sustained effect. In South Africa, Chelsea had fifteen players taking part in the 2010 tournament. These players had varying degrees of success, however in the month of August they racked up a goal differential of fourteen bagging six goals against both West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool. If anyone thought German complacency would be a problem they only have to look as far as Barcelona's 2010/11 season. Barca had eight players that were a part of the World Cup winning squad. These players then led the team to Spanish Super Cup and La Liga trophies, before demolishing Manchester United in the Champions League final. That team will go down as one of the greatest of all time, and there wasn't a hint of complacency after winning the biggest prize the previous summer. Not being satisfied with what you've won is a mark of any good team in the first place.

If the World Cup has any effect on the title contenders it will be so minimal that it probably won't even reach the press or be evident while watching a game. The past few months have produced some of the most exiting matches in recent memory, but I'm confident that we won't be seeing a significant dip in form from anyone who was a part of the battles in Brazil.

-Patrick Kerrigan



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