Is Tuchel right about Arsenal’s “huge advantage” next season? | OneFootball

England boss Thomas Tuchel has claimed Arsenal will have a “huge advantage” in next season’s Premier League as a result of the summer Club World Cup.

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Speaking to the media this week, England manager Thomas Tuchel suggested Arsenal and Liverpool will reap the rewards of not playing in the Club World Cup next season.

“I think it (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 it is 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 (on England). We will deal with the effect when the effect comes and let’s see.”

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It’s pretty clear that Tuchel is implying Arsenal and Liverpool will have an advantage due to having the entire summer off, whereas the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City will have to deal with a late start to pre-season and the potential for injury setbacks at the Club World Cup.

Chelsea and City will both be hoping to go the distance at the Club World Cup, but doing so would mean remaining in the competition until the final on July 13th.

Arsenal will be on tour in Singapore less than 10 days later, and they’ll likely begin pre-season training around the same date as that final.

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On the other hand, Chelsea and City have been handed a huge financial boost by the tournament, and they’ll earn even more if they win it.

That money and the allure of playing in the tournament itself has allowed them to spend heavily and recruit new players ahead of the event. Their squads will be stacked full of expensive signings by the time they do return to action.

Some of those players will have had the entire Club World Cup tournament to settle in and learn their roles with their new team in a competitive environment.

So Tuchel might be right that the rest days will give Arsenal a boost, but we’ll only know the true consequences of the Club World Cup once next season gets underway.