While the entire world will be watching the drama unfold over the next five weeks as the 2022 FIFA World Cup gets underway on Sunday with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador, the top European teams will be working diligently to get ready for the second half of the domestic season in 2022-23.
The national teams of every major club will be represented by a number of their players, but for those who are left behind, a regular schedule of practice, tactical work, and midseason friendlies await. What will the clubs be focusing on? For great sports betting venues check out CasinoDaddy!
Manchester City
Because the majority of his senior squad will be away at the World Cup, Pep Guardiola won’t have many first-team players with him in Abu Dhabi. Nevertheless, the Manchester City manager will use the training camp to get a better look at some of the club’s young players and start assembling a team to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup fourth round on December 22.
On December 5, City will go to the Middle East where they will spend a few days practicing and getting ready for what is anticipated to be a busy second half of the season in which they will compete in four events.
The Norwegian striker will be essential to City’s effort to unseat Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and win a first Champions League trophy, therefore Guardiola’s primary goal over the break will be to ensure that Haaland is well and on the field when the domestic season returns.
The team should use the transfer window to decide on Guardiola’s future off the field. He has a contract that expires at the end of the current campaign, and City will be aware that if the new campaign begins without him agreeing to a new one, there will be a lot of discussion surrounding the matter of when the players should be focusing on winning as many trophies as they can before May. Check out 18bet for top fun!
Chelsea
Graham Potter, who took over for Tuchel in September, has had a lot of time to work with his team. He will be grateful for the opportunity to take a breather and start attempting to make a proper impression on his new club because an international break preceded a run of 13 matches across October and the first part of November. The break provides Potter with an opportunity to clarify his ideas for the rest of the campaign since he has heavily rotated his tactics and personnel.
While the absence of several prominent Chelsea players from the World Cup is a huge personal disappointment for the players, the Blues may still benefit in the second half of the season. While Kante and Chilwell will be out until next year, James is anticipated to make a full recovery from a knee injury in early December, and Kepa may as well after suffering a foot issue.
Arsenal
Arsenal must find a way to keep their momentum somehow. They had the best start to a domestic season in their 135-year existence as they enter the domestic break five points in front. Given the rhythm and concentration, they are shown to overtake Manchester City and earn a spot in the Europa League
Over half of Arteta’s 25-man team is anticipated to fly to Dubai because nine of his players are committed to the World Cup. There, they will try to keep in shape and maintain the positive attitude that has been so important to their advancement. The five weeks will be divided into “various phases,” according to the manager, with the goal of reaching a peak on Boxing Day when the Gunners resume play. A brief break will also be provided to the players before they resume training. Sportaza is another place where the fun is at!
Manchester United
The week after the World Cup final, United will play Burnley in the Carabao Cup, and Ten Hag anticipates using a lot of the players who aren’t competing in the tournament in Qatar. Ten Hag’s system, which is still relatively new to the players, will be the subject of some fitness work as well as a tactical focus, but it’s also an opportunity to strengthen the players’ sense of unity and teamwork.
After dealing with such a busy schedule in the wake of his appointment, Ten Hag will be thankful for time with his players, even if it is just a small group. However, Ten Hag also has difficulties resolving off the field. After his explosive interview in which he revealed that he doesn’t respect the United boss, Ronaldo has to be replaced. The club will also need to determine whether they have the funds to hire a replacement.
Real Madrid
The players who did not participate in the World Cup have been given time off until Dec. 1, when they will resume training, according to manager Carlo Ancelotti. They will have four complete weeks to be ready for LaLiga’s comeback on December 31. Although nothing has been decided yet, the club has considered the possibility of holding some friendly matches during that time.
After a strong start in which they went undefeated in their first 16 games and qualified for the Champions League group stage, Madrid’s first half of the season came to a disappointing close with losses to underdogs Girona and Rayo Vallecano. This resulted in some criticism and reflection, if not a full-blown crisis, as it put them two points behind Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga standings.
There were signs of fatigue, and this respite will allow the team to recover. The defense will also need to be tightened up under Ancelotti’s direction because it has allowed 14 league goals to Barca’s five thus far.
Barcelona
In reality, 16 of Barcelona’s players are participating in the World Cup, so manager Xavi Hernandez finds it challenging to make many arrangements. A game versus Premier League leaders Arsenal in London has been mooted, according to people with knowledge of the talks between the club and a handful of friendly fixtures in December. Barca’s next LaLiga match is against Espanyol on December 31, so there should be time to squeeze in a few matches once players start arriving from Qatar and easing back into training.
While Barca leads LaLiga during the break, they are still implementing Xavi’s ideas, and their elimination from the Champions League group stage demonstrates that they still have a lot of work to do.
Bayern Munich
17 of the first team’s 23 players will be present overall in the World Cup. Before returning to the practice field, where manager Julian Nagelsmann will have prepared individualized drills for everyone, the tiny group staying in Munich has been given a week free.
Unless Nagelsmann grants them extra time to rest, which will be decided player by player, the Bayern players currently playing in Qatar are expected to return to Munich once they are eliminated from the World Cup. Nagelsmann has described planning for the winter break as “challenging” due to all of the uncertainty involved, which may help to explain why Bayern has not yet released a schedule with any friendlies.
The load control component is crucial because so many players will probably stay in Qatar for a while. Nagelsmann does not need to add many new tactical components given how well Bayern has performed lately; instead, they should focus on the smaller nuances that may be improved. More importantly, he and his staff need to get the team fit and figure out how to get the players to the top of their game in April and May, when Bayern could play in the Champions League quarterfinals and possibly semifinals.
Paris Saint Germain
Between December 5 and 7, the team is expected back at the Camp des Loges training facility. The most recent activity of each participant will determine the precise date. The return date for those who did not compete in the World Cup will depend on how far they advanced in the competition or whether they had recently been eliminated.
After their nation is eliminated from the World Cup, manager Christophe Galtier will give the World Cup players a few days vacations. There will be several case-by-case analyses when it comes to returning to training because so many PSG players are traveling to Qatar. At first, there will be a lot of group fitness work done, and as players gradually return from the World Cup, they will work out alone to catch up before joining the group. Before the team’s first competitive game back, which is on December 28 or 29, at home against Strasbourg, there will be one or two friendlies (neither the opponent nor the dates have been confirmed).
The second half of PSG’s campaign will be crucial. They are still in the Ligue 1 race because Lens is still in the mix five points behind them. The crucial test will come in Bayern’s Champions League round of 16 matchups in mid-February. In addition to working on their defensive transitions and finding a better balance, Galtier will ensure that his players are physically prepared to perform at their highest level for that particular game.
The team is hoping to get a center-back (perhaps Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan), a midfielder, and a forward in January to bolster it (possibly Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid). Galtier and sporting director Luis Campos will have money available, and they have time to determine which players will suit best.
