An unorthodox Fifa World Cup is fast approaching. The technical teams of participating nations have submitted their chosen players for the showpiece in Qatar, which is scheduled to begin on 20 November.

The head coaches of the participating nations have a headache worse than usual.

With only one week for the chosen players to train together before the tournament officially commences, will they stick with the tried and tested? Or will the respective coaches experiment with trusting fringe players who head into the tournament riding high on form?

Falling like flies

The Qatar World Cup has drawn widespread criticism due to the event taking place in November/December – which marks Qatar’s winter time. The showpiece traditionally takes place in the European summer months of June/July.

However, with Qatar’s summer temperatures exceeding the 40°C mark on average, that period would have posed a health hazard to the players. Hence the shift in schedule.

As a result, this particular instalment of one of the most prestigious sports events in the world sees national teams having little to no time to sharpen up.

They would usually gather for a longer period, working on chemistry and combinations in order for the managers to put out their strongest possible 11 from what they’ve seen in training during that period.      

The top European leagues, which will provide a large chunk of the participating players in Qatar, only stopped playing this past weekend.

In fact, as the respective leagues (as well the continental Uefa Champions League) rushed to cram fixtures into their calendar before the World Cup-enforced break, many players were victims of injuries – a fact that former England and Liverpool defender-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher lamented recently.

“They campaigned on having it in the summer. It is impossible to have a World Cup in the summer there, with the temperatures. It got moved to the situation where it is now in the middle of the season,” Carragher told CBS Sports.

“Players spend their whole lives dreaming of playing in a World Cup and now could be [out]. As we’ve seen with Son [Heung-min] and other players all around the world. [Raphael] Varane was crying coming off the pitch at Stamford Bridge. That’s how close we are to a World Cup.”

Subsequently, some players have had to miss out on the spectacle, while others are so important that they’ve been chosen by their national coaches with hopes that they will regain full fitness at some point during the tournament.

These players include the likes of Senegal star Sadio Mané, who was picked by Aliou Cissé despite suffering a knee injury while playing for Bayern Munich a week ago.

South Korea have also included their own talisman, Son. This, despite the Tottenham Hotspur attacker suffering a fractured eye socket during his side’s Champions League clash against Marseille in early November.    

Despite his injury scare, Varane is in the French team and likely to start if passed fit before the defending champions kickstart their campaign on 22 November.

Raphael Varane of France celebrates the goal of Kylian Mbappe of France during the Uefa Nations League League A Group 1 match between France and Austria at Stade de France on 22 September 2022 in Saint-Denis near Paris, France. (Photo: Jean Catuffe / Getty Images)

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Form vs familiarity

Varane, being the most senior centre-back in the French squad, is a guaranteed starter if fit.

With Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe recently ruled out with a hamstring injury – after initially being picked by France coach Didier Deschamps in his 26-man squad for the World Cup – the scramble to see who will partner a fit Varane is fierce.

On-form William Saliba should slot in beside Varane. The centre-back has been crucial for Arsenal in their blistering start to the Premier League season. He has played in all 14 of the Gunners’ games, helping them to seven clean sheets.

During that period, he has also chipped in with a couple of goals and an assist. With that considered, he should be the first defender on the team sheet, ahead of players such as Varane, Jules Koundé, Lucas Hernandez, Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano.

However, Saliba’s inexperience at this level may very well cost him. He only made his debut in the senior side this year and has only picked up seven caps.

The same can be said for England and Leicester City midfielder James Maddison.

James Maddison of Leicester celebrates his goal to make it 3-0 during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City at Molineux on 23 October 2022 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo: Michael Regan / Getty Images)

Despite being the focal point of his club’s magnificent turnaround from their early season struggles – which saw them occupying the relegation zone – the midfielder is likely to still play second fiddle to the likes of Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Bukayo Saka.

After all, Maddison only has one cap since making his debut for the national side in 2019, and has been frequently overlooked by Southgate. This, in spite of him being a key figure for Leicester throughout that time.

To further deflate his chances of being a starter, Maddison suffered a knock in his side’s final league game before the World Cup.

This season, the 25-year-old has impressed with seven goals and four assists to help the Foxes earn 16 points from eight games – with only the Premier League’s top three collecting more in that period.

With the slashed camping time, countries such as Portugal and Morocco may also resort to sticking to combinations that are tried and tested.

Cristiano Ronaldo remains a vital cog for Portugal, despite his troubles at Manchester United. Before the World Cup squad was named, there were questions on whether Ronaldo should even make Fernando Santos’ squad.

“Will Ronaldo definitely be called up? That’s not a question for me to answer. I have never interfered and I will never go into areas which are only the manager’s job,” president of the Portuguese football federation Fernando Gomes was quoted by Marca as saying.

Of course, Santos has included the player considered one of the greatest to kick a soccer ball in his final list. He is also likely to include Ronaldo in his strongest 11 throughout the tournament.

After all, the former Real Madrid star is the all-time leading goal scorer in men’s international football – with 117 goals to date. The injury-enforced absence of Liverpool’s Diogo Jota also makes things a bit easier for Portugal’s head coach.

It will likely be the same for Morocco. Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech has returned to the national fold after being dropped indefinitely by the previous coach, Vahid Halilhodžić, for reportedly refusing to play in a friendly match in early 2022.

New coach Walid Regragui has ended the forward’s international exile and included him in the World Cup squad. On talent, in spite of the fact that Ziyech has been a peripheral figure for his struggling English club, he will likely feature in all of Morocco’s important matches.

The same is true for his Chelsea teammate, Édouard Mendy. The goalkeeper remains his country’s #1 despite limited game time so far this season. DM