The most atypical European season that is remembered began to walk, Lionel Messi and several of the players of the Argentina national team they have already played their first warm-up friendlies and our eyes, inevitably, point to November, when the world Cup will alter the usual biorhythms of all competitions. But the question that arises is whether the players will also have their eyes on the Qatar event during these four months.

This is not an easy topic to tackle and it is impossible to analyze it in a general way because the same rules cannot be applied in matters that are absolutely individual. Definitely, each player is in a certain way and the club whose colors he defends has its own interests and objectives.

It is clear that the World Cup will arrive on an unusual date for this type of tournament, splitting the season in half. More or less basic reasoning indicates that therein lies an unobjectionable benefit: all the footballers will participate in half the training sessions and play half the matches that when this type of tournament is played at the end of the competitive year. The consequence should be that they are half as tired, with more energy and less overload. Now, will this affect the particular performance of those whose presence in Qatar is assured? I allow myself to doubt it.

Soccer players are educated to always stay well trained and loosen up is not within our possibilities. It is very difficult to think that a player is going to do the plank between now and November and there are multiple reasons to explain and understand it.

Contrary to popular belief, when you enter the court you lose control, try to keep your mind free to do your best physically no matter what the consequences are. It’s a behavior that can’t be so easily bred out of the mind only to be reattached once a World Cup is over. Except in very specific situations -a game already resolved, the drag of a residual injury-, controlling oneself attentively against the essence of the player is unnatural. And on the other hand It’s not risk-free either.: We all know about silly injuries that occur in inconsequential actions in matches and training sessions.

But on the other hand, the physical issue is only one of the pieces that makes up a footballer and it would be a mistake to ignore the others. The player needs to add a dose of confidence in what he does, and that can only be achieved if when leaving the field you have the feeling of having left everything and of having done things well.

When he steps on the grass, the player makes a commitment to himself that is incompatible with the idea of ​​using himself halfway. And there is also an obligation to colleagues. Agreements are sealed in the locker room that do not appear in any contract, an inherent link to the very meaning of being a footballer. I put myself in the place of any of those who share the day to day with Lionel Messi at PSG, Ángel Di María at Juventus, Lautaro Martínez at Inter or Cuti Romero at Tottenham and I know that none of them could think that they have a partner who is going to weaken their performance in favor of a World Cup that is two, three or four months away.

To all that has been said, personal situations are added. Say Maria just changed club, Messi and Leandro Paredes they have a new coach, Lautaro is reunited with Romelu Lukaku, and so each and every one starts the season with different scenarios and with individual and collective challenges to face.

We will have to see, for example, what role Christophe Galtier assigns to Messi. At Nice he was a coach who favored reaction and counterattack over possession and dominance and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the virtues and abilities of a 35-year-old to get optimum performance from him. The same applies to the rest, even to those who do not change teams or coaches: how will Inter move in attack with Lukaku? What movement will be modified in the midfield of Atlético de Madrid with the incorporation of the Belgian Axel Witsel and to what extent will that affect Rodrigo DePaul?

Football is current, it is present, it is the next game. We footballers learn it from a young age and we know that in those 90 minutes we put prestige and self-esteem at stake. And on the other hand, I doubt very much that the Arab sheikhs or the owners of Inter will care too much that a World Cup starts in November.

That’s why my forecast is that, at least in the first two months, we will see a season like any other. Only from there, and depending on the particular situations, it is possible that some players start to focus on what awaits them in Qatar.

Until then, the best thing that can happen to the members of our team is to find themselves, give your best and be charged with faith in your possibilities. The rest will be done by that contagious positive energy given off by the squad led by Messi. I believe that to face a World Cup in full mentality and group spirit are above the physical, and in that sense, the starting point of Argentina is today unbeatable.