Many suspected the World Cup break had come at the wrong time for Newcastle United and Miguel Almiron. Before the month-long hiatus, both entities were enjoying their finest purple patch in years.
The Magpies had astonishingly risen up to third in the Premier League while Almiron - instrumental in reaching those lofty heights - scooped the Player of the Month award. An easy narrative could be made to suggest Newcastle could lose their momentum after the winter tournament.
Just five Toon players jetted off to Qatar, with the rest given an extended break before returning for the mid-season Saudi Arabian camp on December 4. By contrast, European rivals Manchester United (14), Manchester City (16), Chelsea (13), Tottenham Hotspur (11), Arsenal (10) and Liverpool (7) released more to their national sides.
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Debate is beginning to emerge about whether those who played at the World Cup will be better or worse off than their counterparts. Pep Guardiola threw a spanner in the works by announcing Kalvin Phillips returned from England duty overweight, causing him to miss the Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool.
"He's (Phillips) not injured,” he told reporters. “He arrived overweight. I don't know (why). He didn't arrive in the condition to do training sessions and to play."
Common sense suggests a month of competitive training is more favourable than time off. However, former Spain star Cesc Fabregas, watching his old club Arsenal, questioned that logic. Almiron’s thrilling goal and performance on Boxing Day also defied the obvious.
“Odegaard is really at it today,” Fabregas tweeted. “Love his style. Do you think the players that didn’t go to the World Cup will have a bigger impact than the players that did this second part of the season?
It was not just Almiron who appeared to have an extra spring in their step after the World Cup. Brentford talisman Ivan Toney troubled Spurs throughout while Mohammed Salah looked re-energised in a Liverpool shirt.
Perhaps the team and individual determine whether the unprecedented break was a positive or not. For Newcastle and Almiron, given the meticulous preparation and work rate of Eddie Howe, there was only ever going to be one outcome.
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