Thomas Tuchel believes Liverpool and Arsenal will have a huge advantage in the upcoming Premier League season due to Chelsea and Manchester City participating in the Club World Cup this summer.
The England head coach is trying to stay relaxed about any potential impact FIFA’s new competition, which starts on Saturday, will have on his players ahead of what promises to be another gruelling campaign. Tuchel is hoping to lead the Three Lions to glory in next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico but there are concerns some players may not be at peak condition due to the sheer amount of matches in the footballing calendar.
Despite his hopes for England's success, the German tactician feels the competition will significantly sway who clinches the Premier League crown, with the fresher squads of Liverpool and Arsenal having a clear advantage.
“I think (the Club World Cup) will have a huge impact and it will give Liverpool and Arsenal a huge advantage in the next season to not be there,” Tuchel said. “I think it will be a very nice experience for the players who are there to play this tournament for the first time, so I have mixed feelings about it.
“I decided not to worry too much, because why should I? It is a given, and no-one knows what will be the outcome of it or the effect. We will deal with the effect when the effect comes and let’s see.”
Nine of Tuchel’s group for last Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra and Tuesday night’s friendly against Senegal are heading to the Club World Cup, but he insisted: “There is not one player who says ‘by the way, I would like to be on the bench and save myself for the Club World Cup’. They are hungry to play.
“The games are not the problem, it is just the amount of time that it occupies from the players, and they need a proper rest somewhere in this calendar which they hardly get.”
One of those nine is Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who is set to captain England again at the City Ground in Nottingham. Twenty-four members of the squad trained at St George’s Park on Monday, with Jude Bellingham absent due to his attendance at a family funeral. He was due to return to the camp later in the day.