How will the world cup really impact the Premier League?

While it goes without saying that the World Cup being held during the Premier League season was never desired by football fans, it absolutely will not stop any of us from getting involved in creating a fantasy team or joining a World Cup draw to win a cheeky bit of cash, but how could it damage the high standards of the premier league?

The controversial Qatar competition, which began on Sunday 20^th November, only adds to the volume of games needing to be played by top level footballers across the world’s top leagues. With fixtures coming thick and fast for many, this will highly increase the likelihood of player injuries and fatigue.

When injuries, paired with a reduction in recovery time between games, with games on Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and a rapid turnaround for players on January 2^nd/3^rd - it seems as though only the teams with quality squad depth will survive. Not to mention the 11 Premier League teams expected to participate in the Carabao Cup round of 16 just days after the World Cup final. So expect some potentially weaker line ups, and hope your team’s national players don’t make it to the final…

The global tournament could also have knock-on effects in terms of team form, which could arguably have a differing outcome for each club. On one hand, Newcastle United, who are in great form, could face a dramatic twist in their dream-like season. Yet, Graham Potter’s Chelsea may thrive with this extra time, giving the manager some time to figure out what is going wrong, despite the fact that they have 12 players actually attending the World Cup.  

Having said that, the winter World Cup could prove to be very beneficial for some, especially those that have just got themselves a new manager (Aston Villa, Southampton and Wolves) as they will be able to treat the World Cup period as a premier league pre-season, and prep for the upcoming, unprecedented, fixture list through team bonding and newer managerial tactics. Though if this is going to be anything similar to Nottingham Forest’s attempt to ‘gel’ after their £163.4 million summer expenditure, a few more weeks may be needed.  

Therefore, as the World Cup could destroy team form and harm premier league players unnecessarily, if you’re lucky enough to support a team that isn’t performing so well, it might actually be an advantage. And on the bright side, it won’t be long after the World Cup until the January transfer window opens.