19 Jul 2018 13:12:25
Seeing as managers are starting to complain about their players being at the world cup I decided to look into just how many players from the top six sides went to the world cup.
Man City - 16
Man Utd - 12 (11 in truth as Fred has yet to play for us)
Spurs - 12
Chelsea - 12
Arsenal - 9
Liverpool - 9 (again 8 really as Alisson has only just arrived)
So what can we make of that? Well first off City had the most players at the world cup, so that may negativity effect them this season.
However, if the best players play in the world cup then these number could be a way of seeing how good each squad is. It could be argued that if you have more players going to the world cup then you have better players. That argument seems painfully childish and over simplistic though.
The real question is how long were those players away representing their countries for? Well in that respect Spurs were the most unlucky side, with 9 of their 12 players at the world cup still their at the semi finals stage, and therefore their until the last weekend of the tournament. So could that effect Spurs this season?
Maybe, maybe not.
At the end of the day many things effect a teams ability to compete, and often its how the individuals themselves think/ feel about the situation that has the biggest impact. Take England's game against Croatia. Now with Croatia having played the most minutes in the tournament upon the full time whistle at 90 minutes, while also having the older player it wouldn't be a massive jump to assume it would be the Croatians who would feel the most tired. However, at the time those players were on the up and that surge of emotion made them feel less tired than they actually probably were. Whereas, the England players had seen their lead and early dominance slip and this probably made them feel more tired than they were.
So how does this effect club football?
It highlights the mental side of the game that can have a direct effect on the physical abilities of the players.
If you have a manager constantly complaining and giving excuses for his players and generally creating a negative atmosphere then that seeps into the players and will negatively effect their mental state and their performances.
Again look at England over achieving, how much of that is down the positive atmosphere created by Southgate? England won their first ever competitive shoot-out. Shoot-outs are completely controlled by the mental state of the players, happy and confident players will always win the shoot-out against the unhappy and unconfident side.
So I don't think the world cup will negatively effect players from top six clubs, well unless their manager makes it effect them.
19 Jul 2018 13:41:11
Really good post shappy!
I have always been a jose fan BUT he's started the pre season with a whiney pissy pants press conference and its the final straw for me now.
Look at leicester and the title winning season, they battled relegation the yr b4 and yet a run of wins gave them the confidence/ invincibility (mentally) to carry it on.
A posituce mindset can turn a top 4 finish in to a league winning finish.
19 Jul 2018 14:11:37
Over achieve Shappy? England played championship level opposition most tournament and the two games they played to decent opposition, they lost. So how is that over achieving.
You also contradict yourself in the post. You say England had positive mindset and that's why they were in the semis and then you go on to say that Croats were fresher than English. So which is it?
Your post is only anti Jose agenda yet again.
Can you atleast wait for the season to start and let us lose the first 10 games on the bounce and then call for the head?
Jose is rightfully calling out the board as we haven't seen any transfer movement from the board yet. This was the time when the new players would have been bedded in to the squad but we are still struggling with the signings. Pogba is unsure and will anyways come back late. So will Lukaku and the others who went deep in the WC. doesn't that take a toll on the squad. What do you expect the manager to say?
19 Jul 2018 14:48:19
United Addict, England were not expected to make it to the quarter finals, so to make it to the semi's is clearly achieving beyond expectation. i.e over achieving.
You say England only played championship standard players, however that is subjective. If a top six EPL team beats a championship side then its no big deal, if a league two side does then its a huge deal. If a fellow championship side beats another championship side then it depends which is considered the better within their own level. England may not have beaten any great sides, but they themselves are a very average side. Harry Kane the only player who can be considered world class. The rest are either squad players at a top six side or a decent player within a mid table side. This England team overachieved, they probably won't do so again however.
I haven't contradicted myself either, Croatia should't have been fresher coming off the back of two 120 minute games. And in the first half they were off the pace and it could be considered the number of minutes had caught up with them. However, once they got out of second gear in the second half, then after they scored the equaliser they were on the up, physically more tired than England yet their improved mental state delayed the effects of that tiredness and allowed them to be the better team. England however, were better in the first half, but once Croatia got a foothold and especially after the equaliser the confidence drained out of them and made them look like the team coming off the back of two 120 games in a week.
England's improved atmosphere greatly improved their performances and carried them to the semi's even though they aren't a great team. However, at the end of the day a lack of quality and experience cost them a place in the final.
If you look at any team in world football, they play the best football when those players are happy, confident and when they don't feel pressure or tension.
When Leicester won the title, they played well right up until they realised they might actually win it, fortunately for them other results went their way and they recovered. But the tension and pressure nearly derailed their title bid.
Gerrards slip, Liverpool were playing the best football in the league that season, yet the pressure got to them and they crumbled.
Keegan's Newcastle the same thing happened. And it has happened countless times with Arsenal in the last 10 years, start the season on fire but the pressure and the atmosphere brings them down.
Players are far more sensitive than they used to be, their performances and their life style choices are under more scrutiny than ever before. Over half of the criticism Paul Pogba receives is about his hairstyle more than his football.
That is why it is harder than ever for managers to keep the players happy and playing well and why few managers finish 3 years at a club.
I don't think the way to succeed in modern football is with 1970's techniques. Managers need to adapt to the modern world and modern players. Football is an entertainment industry and fans expect entertainment. Players are over paid softies, but it is a managers job to deal with that and handle them in a way that gets the most out of them. Slating them and creating a negative atmosphere is not the best way and it won't work long term.
Jose's recent comments just highlight how unhappy he is and how this season will follow a similar trajectory to last. Jose needs to improve the players we have and he won't do that by constantly grinding them down with overly negative press conferences and by skulking about grimacing at everyone.
19 Jul 2018 15:31:20
Shappy- Sunderland had 9 registered in the WC - I hope that isn't an omen lol.
19 Jul 2018 15:31:20
Shappy- Sunderland had 9 registered in the WC - I hope that isn't an omen lol.
19 Jul 2018 15:57:29
@Shappy
I wonder if the mental side and negativity and sniping affects the players so much then why did this negative manager win the Premier League thrice? How did Conte win the league? He was hardly a bundle of positivity. Neither was Mancini.
You seem to blame the manager for everything and see faults everywhere. You do realize we finished second and were in a cup final last year?
19 Jul 2018 18:51:51
Redfaith you say he has won 3 pl titles that only tells us he was a great manager, his last 2 jobs have seen most of the players on the respective teams basically in open rebellion against him. Why do you think conte lost his job? You can't keep aggravating and annoying the people on whose performance your job depends on and expect success or even job security.
19 Jul 2018 19:29:55
Redfaith, it works in the short term. A quick kick up the arse, have a look at yourselves treatment.
However, it tend to be a short sharp response. Jose has won three EPL titles, yet he has never finished three seasons with a team. It worked with Conte for a season, then last year they dropped out of the top four and he got sacked. He didn't finished three seasons.
See a pattern here. You can't keep whipping the players and expect them to stay loyal. Eventually they turn on you. Jose has an opportunity to change the mistakes of his past and improve himself as a manager. But he needs to change the atmosphere around the club and that starts with creating a positivity around the club. Smile, joke, praise the players. Is it really that hard?