• The World Cup in Qatar begins on November 19, a short week after the end of the league matches.

  • Since the start of the season, the clubs have been subject to a hellish pace and injuries are legion.

  • The selections will have a very short week to prepare for this meeting in the Middle East.

From Shanghai to Beijing, via Wuhan, they will be happy, the few Chinese viewers, Sunday evening (1 p.m., in France), when they will discover the composition of PSG against Auxerre.

Because, if they wanted to see Mbappé, Neymar and Messi at the forefront of the attack, they should rather be entitled to Ekitike, Soler and Sarabia.

Yes, one week before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, rather die than take the risk of getting injured on a tackle from Quentin Bernard.

So ask Sadio Mané, who was injured on Tuesday, if he hadn't preferred to be kept in formaldehyde rather than play this vulgar Bundesliga match against Werder Bremen.

Result: affected knee, a squealing tendon, several weeks of unavailability and World Cup surely in front of the TV.

Hard for the Senegalese who had made this meeting in the Middle East his main objective.

The former Liverpool player may curse this injury over several generations, but this one is hardly a surprise.

What preparation?

Because Bayern, like all the clubs participating in the various European cups this season, has been going at a frantic pace since the start of the season.

Matches do you want it here every three days to stall this World Cup of misfortune in the middle of the season.

On Sunday, the internationals won't even have time to peck after their championship match before they have to join the national team to prepare for the World Cup.


Benzema absent from training, ten days before the World Cup via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/sx72fHWXhd

– 20 Minutes Sport (@20minutesSport) November 9, 2022

Access to this content has been blocked to respect your choice of consent

By clicking on "

I ACCEPT

", you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners

I ACCEPT

And to better remunerate 20 Minutes, do not hesitate to accept all cookies, even for one day only, via our "I accept for today" button in the banner below.

More information on the Cookie Management Policy page.



Finally, a preparation that is only a preparation in name.

Because between the time when the players come together and the first World Cup match, only a big week will have passed.

Impossible to perfect the physical condition of some, to repair the small sores of others, to clown around at Clairefontaine for a few days.

It seems a long time since the Russian World Cup when Didier Deschamps' men had had almost a month to prepare.

Diplomatic injuries for the last matches?

"The coaches will have to endure things and pray," explained physical trainer Nicolas Dyon to AFP.

This is very problematic in terms of physiology and performance.

It's tossing a coin.

“For many selections, the questions never end: will Jules Koundé be fit for the World Cup?

Will Paulo Dybala recover from his thigh injury?

Injured in a calf, Richarlison was still selected with Brazil.

So, diplomatic injuries are likely to become legion for the last club games before going to the selection: “No, doc, it's not a side point, I really can't play on Sunday.

And then I have a broken fingernail here.

So, if Karim Benzema's absence has been extended for weeks, and he won't play against Cadiz on Thursday, isn't it rather out of caution, to avoid a tragic fate at Mané, rather than a wound that is slow to heal?

And then, for those who will still have to fight on the pitch this weekend, how to be really focused with their club as the biggest meeting in their history approaches.

"I had to tell the players a month ago to be focused, but now it's very close, conceded Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coach, at a press conference.

We are going to play this weekend and they have to be with their national team the next day.

I'm sure players will have that in mind.

I would be the same in their place.

»



no time to breathe

So why didn't we stop the domestic competitions earlier knowing that the World Cup would be held on those dates?

Why not play a little in the summer rather than imposing this barbaric rhythm?

Why lose interest in matches where the best players will only have the lead in Qatar?

“Today, no one has the right to complain anymore.

Things should have been settled long before, summed up Sevilla FC coach Jorge Sampaoli.

Fifa thought only of money and its business by determining that this World Cup should be played in a place where we should not play a competition of this level, and on a date when the we shouldn't play it.

»

“We will therefore accept the situation and manage the consequences, continued the Argentinian.

Those before the competition, where players risk being distracted.

And after the World Cup, which we do not know in what state some will return.

“Ah yes, because we had not forgotten to say that, a big week after the World Cup final, on December 18, Ligue 1, the Premier League and La Liga were going to resume as if nothing was.

A nice Christmas present.

Except for gamers.


Sport

Real Madrid: Karim Benzema absent from training, ten days before the World Cup

Sport

France team: We (almost) hacked Deschamps' WhatsApp before the announcement of the list of 23

  • Sport

  • Soccer

  • France football team

  • World Cup 2022

  • League 1

  • Champions League

  • Paris-Saint-Germain (PSG)