With the 2022 World Cup now just over three months away, thoughts will soon switch to which players will feature at the tournament.
The Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’ clubs will send a strong contingent to play in Qatar and some of them will be impacted more than their rivals.
The English top-flight is scheduled to shut down for six weeks while the World Cup is played, but which clubs will be hit hardest? We take a closer look.
Liverpool
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is likely to be an avid watcher of live soccer streams when the World Cup gets underway in November.
Alisson, Fabinho, Virgil van Dijk, Thiago, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez are all certain to feature, while another six players could be chosen by their respective national team managers.
However, Mohamed Salah, Joel Matip, Andy Robertson, and Luis Diaz will all be able to put their feet up as their teams have failed to qualify.
The opportunity to get some rest into Salah could be particularly useful as they strive to beat Manchester City to this season’s Premier League title.
Manchester City
There are several potential World Cup winners amongst the 15 Man City players who will heading to the World Cup later this year.
They include Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Ederson, all of whom are likely to make it to the knockout phase.
One massive bonus for City manager Pep Guardiola is Erling Braut Haaland’s absence from the World Cup, with Norway failing to make it through.
Haaland has made a blistering start to the new season and the opportunity to give him a lengthy break midway though the season is excellent news for City.
Chelsea
Things could be pretty quiet around Chelsea’s training ground during the World Cup, with around 20 players likely to play in the tournament.
They include Edouard Mendy, Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz, while new signing Raheem Sterling will be part of England’s squad.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed concern about the impact the World Cup will have on his players, particularly with regards to their mindset beforehand.
The German is worried that some of his top stars may take their foot of the gas with a view to avoiding injuries before the World Cup starts.
Arsenal
Arsenal have six regular first-team starters who will feature at the World Cup – Aaron Ramsdale, Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Granit Xhaka.
Several more members of their squad are also in contention to be selected including Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli, Fabio Vieira and William Saliba.
However, there are also several key players staying behind including Kieran Tierney, Martin Odegaard, Nicolas Pepe, Mohamed Elneny and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Tierney’s absence from the World Cup will undoubtedly put a smile on Mikel Arteta’s face given the full-back’s shocking injury record.
Manchester United
While the current league table makes a mockery of putting Man United amongst the ‘Big Six’, plenty of their players will be at the World Cup,
They include Lisandro Martinez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen, Fred and Raphael Varane and Hannibal Mejbri.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw will probably be selected by England, although their current form has cast some doubt over their inclusion.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and David de Gea are amongst the other players who could make it to Qatar, although it would be no surprise to see any of them left out.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte will have his fingers crossed that the club’s top players emerge unscathed from the World Cup.
While Spurs have improved their squad this summer, they can ill-afford to lose any of their big guns if they want to mount a serious challenge for silverware.
Amongst the key players heading to Qatar are Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Heung-min Son, Richarlison, Ivan Perisic and Cristian Romero.
Each of them play for nations who are fancied to progress to the knockout phase, which would extend the time they are away from their club.
