A blessing or a blessing? The Club World Cup, or why it could be the strange double-header tournament.

The season has just ended, and almost unintentionally, a newly created tournament appears on the horizon, though it's unclear whether it belongs to the season that has just passed or if it's the kickoff for the upcoming campaign. Objectively, the idea is good, as bringing together the world's best teams in a single tournament, as if it were a World Cup for national teams, makes the championship very attractive. The problem lies in the dates ... and the obvious use of shoehorning to fit everything in.

With just under a week and a half off since the end of the competition, many players have already returned to work to prepare for the next tournament. Thus, recovery has been minimal, and if we add to this the demanding season that has just passed, in addition to last summer's European Championship and Copa América, we can say that footballers' rest time is becoming increasingly limited . More and more tournaments, with more matches and less time for rest, are pushing athletes to their limits .

And that's what's causing the Club World Cup to become a drag for many. Take Real Madrid, for example . The Whites had a successful 2023-24 season, winning the Champions League and La Liga titles, as well as the European Championship for several Spanish internationals. But they suffered long-term injuries (Courtois, Militao, and Alaba), which forced the squad to overexert themselves . A season later, in pursuit of more titles and with almost no rest, the team collapsed.

The team won the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, titles inherited from the previous season's victories, but was unable to compete for any of its major successes . Once again, the appearance of serious injuries ( Carvajal and Militao), in addition to many other continuous and repetitive ones due to accumulated fatigue (51 injuries in total, 37 of them muscular), meant that the few healthy players who remained were exhausted, making it impossible to compete for the three major titles.

Given the need for changes to the squad and to strengthen positions, the Whites have made three signings ( Xabi Alonso, Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold ) who, barely acclimatised to the team or their teammates, find themselves facing a new tournament. The excitement is evident - not just from Madrid, but from all 32 participants in the competition - but it is no less true that, given the circumstances, rather than being marked in red, it seems like a transitional competition .

A similar case to that of Madrid is Pep Guardiola's Manchester City , which, after a poor season, spent 360 million euros on eight signings to revitalize the team. And these aren't exceptional situations, as many clubs have had to find solutions for the tournament: first, extending contracts by weeks so that some players who will be leaving the team can play; and then, accelerating and making negotiations more expensive to bring in new players.

With more to gain than to lose

That's why many teams see the Club World Cup as a tournament where there's little to lose , especially the European ones. Many know that by passing the group stage and reaching the knockout stages, they'll have more than fulfilled their promise, earning a significant amount of money as well. Meanwhile, they put together next season's squad, testing out systems, players, and even tactical variations . It's almost a warm-up tournament... but with the best clubs in the world.

Or a good part of them, since the FIFA rankings have left out some, like Barcelona, ​​Liverpool, and Napoli , among others. But if those teams that see the Club World Cup as a drag fall early in the tournament, they'll always have the excuse of a lack of preparation to compete properly, so it won't be a tragedy . And if, on the other hand, they advance through the rounds and get closer to fighting for the title, it will become a blessing and a cause for joy for their fans .

It's a two-faced tournament : those who see a team performing well, playing well, and advancing will consider the Club World Cup an ideal competition to heal the wounds of last season; on the other hand, if the results fall far short of expectations, it will become a transitional tournament . For some, a problem, for others, a shower and massage: FIFA's latest invention is about to begin. It's the starting gun for the new season .