What are the 'Big Six' Premier League teams plans for December?
Clubs have begun to return to training.
The Premier League and club football, in general, are on a break while the World Cup is being played. Seeing the players perform for their country over the last 10-12 days, it is pretty clear that a lot of them were saving themselves for their national teams. Every 'Big Six' team bar Arsenal has had a stuttering start to the season, and the fans will hope the break allows them to refocus and go again.
The teams have begun to announce their plans for December and how they intend to prepare for the season ahead. Depending on the club you support, the number of representatives at the World Cup varies. The more players who have not been selected, the better it is for the club and starting on the front foot. Mentioned below are the plans for each 'Big Six' Premier League team in December.
Arsenal - 1st
Arsenal's stunning start to the season meant that 10 of their players received call-ups to their national team for the World Cup. The problem for Arsenal is that they lack depth, so most of the players that have been called up are starters under Mikel Arteta. A few players like Oleksandr Zinchenko, Keiran Tierney, and Martin Odegaard will be around for the winter camp.
Arsenal will travel to Dubai during the first week of December and intend to play friendlies against Olympique Lyon and AC Milan. Once they return home, they could play a third friendly to prepare for the restart. Arteta will hope that his players are underused at the World Cup and that he has them back for the final friendly at the very least.
Manchester City - 2nd
Manchester City have 16 representatives at the World Cup, the most of any Premier League team. Key players like Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Joao Cancelo, and Ruben Dias, among others, have all traveled to Qatar to represent their countries. Crucially for Pep Guardiola, Norway did not qualify, so Erling Haaland will have had a few weeks of rest and will be ready to go for the camp.
Manchester City have no friendlies lined up, but are due to return to training during the first week of December. They will then fly off to Abu Dhabi for a warm-weather camp and are likely to play some friendlies while there. Many of City's players play for the bigger countries that are expected to reach the latter stages. Guardiola will hope for a few upsets, so he has more players to work with.
Tottenham Hotspur - 4th
Tottenham Hotspur have 11 players at the World Cup, including the likes of Harry Kane, Richarlison, Hugo Lloris, Cristian Romero, and Heung-Min Son. Antonio Conte won't have that many players to work with initially because most of the 11 players are usually in the starting lineup. Dejan Kulusevski and Yves Bissouma are arguably the players with the most minutes who are not involved.
Due to a lack of facilities that could match up to Tottenham's training ground, they have decided to stay at home and prepare. They will likely play a few friendlies to prepare for Boxing Day, but whether those are for public viewing or behind closed doors is yet to be seen. Tottenham have not performed well in their games, but they have managed to get results. Conte will hope to build on the points total.
Manchester United - 5th
Despite Manchester United's shaky start to the season, they have 13 players away at the World Cup in Qatar. That number was 14, but they have since released Cristiano Ronaldo due to his interview and breach of contract. David De Gea, Jadon Sancho, Scott McTominay, Alejandro Garnacho, and Anthony Martial are the few players not in Qatar at the moment.
Manchester United will not be heading to the Middle East but will travel to Spain for a training camp. They are also due to play Cadiz and Real Betis during the camp. Ten Hag would have liked to work with more players during this break, but this gives him a good opportunity to help someone like Sancho regain his confidence. It could be an entertaining second half for United fans.
Liverpool - 6th
Liverpool have the fewest players away at the World Cup, with only seven having traveled to Qatar. Players like Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Thiago Alcantara, Andrew Robertson, and others will all be available to Jurgen Klopp during the break. Liverpool, like Manchester United, have also been put up for sale, so there are turbulent times ahead for Klopp and company.
Liverpool, like Arsenal, will also travel to Dubai for a warm-weather camp. They are also due to play Olympique Lyon and AC Milan in a competition called the Dubai Super Cup. It is a great opportunity for Klopp to get his team clicking again for the second half of the season. Only 14 games have been played, and there is a lot of football to go across all competitions, not just the Premier League.
Chelsea - 8th
Chelsea have 12 players away at the World Cup, but they could have had more if it weren't for the number of injuries to key players. Graham Potter will be happy to have players like: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Armando Broja, Carney Chukwuemeka, and others at his disposal.
Chelsea struggled during the final weeks before the World Cup and will travel to Abu Dhabi to prepare for the second half. The team is due to play Unai Emery's Aston Villa in a friendly. Graham Potter will need to use this time wisely to get his tactics across and coach these players. He didn't have a lot of time to train, but these few weeks could be crucial for the league season ahead.
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