Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes clubs like Leeds United will be at a disadvantage when the Premier League restarts due to having less players at the World Cup. The Whites have just three members of their squad heading to Qatar, which is the second least amount in the division.
On the other end of the scale, Leeds' first opponents post-World Cup Manchester City have 16 players set to feature in the tournament, almost the entirety of their first team squad. Players not called up to represent their country have been granted this week to rest, before taking on their own personalised fitness plans next week ahead of a return to training on or around Monday 28 November.
Leeds will then face a friendly on Friday 16 December against Real Sociedad at Elland Road in a bid to increase their match fitness before returning to Premier League action. It is that six-week break, without a competitive match for much of the squad, that Murphy thinks sides like Leeds will be hindered.
READ MORE: 'I expected more' - Pundits' pre-season Jesse Marsch and Leeds United predictions revisited
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “I think you’re at an advantage the more players you have at a World Cup playing regular, competitive football. What you’re doing is creating the norm. Players normally in a season play throughout the whole year, we don’t have a winter break.
"You don’t have to do another pre-season, get yourself fit again. If you’ve got nearly all of your squad playing at home, six weeks without playing competitive football, you have to manage their training and try build them back up to an intensity level that’s very difficult, let me to tell you, to try find again when you’ve got your rhythm once.
"It’s a bit like having an injury, you’ve then got to rebuild yourself back up. This is why you see players pre-season coming back taking a while to get going if they’ve had a longer break than others for example.”
Radio host Jim White then interjected and posed the question from a mental point of view, claiming players may struggle to get over the disappointment of losing a semi-final/final so quickly before a return to their clubs.
White said: “Let’s say England get to the semi-final and go out. The mental effect and the toll that will take those players immediately…that too in a domestic season.”
Murphy replied: “I think that’s a myth. I don’t see a mental block on players.”
White asked: “A myth?”
Murphy continued: “Because they lose a game, they get back to the club and they crack on with it.”
White argued: “We see mental hangover in football all the time.”
Murphy claimed: “We do sometimes.”
Simon Jordan added: “This is an excuse.”
Murphy went onto conclude his point: “Most players physically will comeback better if they’re playing regular, competitive football than having a six week break. There is an argument to say somewhere towards the end of the season there might be some sort of detrimental problems because of that.
"I don’t see the mental thing as being a big deal as people make out to be. You’re losing a football match. Then you go back to an environment that’s very different than the one you’ve come from, where you have different goals and things to achieve, whether it’s avoiding relegation, getting into the Champions League, winning an FA Cup, whatever it is, you quickly switch to that.”
Think you can predict the World Cup Golden Boot Winner? If so you could WIN £150 in Nike vouchers! Enter below. If the form is not working CLICK HERE
READ NEXT:
- Joe Gelhardt facing his biggest Leeds United challenge yet in bid to send Marsch message
- Leeds United's surprise packages as Jesse Marsch faith repaid and doubters silenced
- FA make Elland Road decision as plans submitted for Euro 2028 bid to be held in UK and Ireland
- Alfie McCalmont latest as Leeds United coach provides midfielder verdict and plan
- Mateo Joseph opens up on his Leeds United debut and sets new World Cup break target
