Chelsea boss Graham Potter warns Premier League giants NOT to expect World Cup stars back for Boxing Day fixtures
THE bosses of the 20 Premier League clubs have been warned not to expect all their World Cup stars back for the Boxing Day restart.
Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva was among 12 England-based Brazilian players selected, with eight top-flight Argentines also heading for Qatar.
GettyThiago Silva will play for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar.[/caption]
And Graham Potter suggested managers should not expect players who make the December 18 final to be available for the Prem’s restart.
The Stamford Bridge boss said: “I don’t know what the motivation of another human will be after a World Cup.
“Most people who have won it celebrate on open-top buses — and then need a three-week holiday to recover.
“I could be selfish and say we need them back.
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“But if they don’t celebrate and they have to come back here it will be difficult. They have to recover emotionally.
“And if you’ve lost the final it’s going to take more than three or four days to get over it.”
Meanwhile, ITV pundits including Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Joe Cole will be able to avoid the make-up humiliation of their World Cup precessors back in 1994.
In a break from tradition, ITV will present their views from the stadiums rather than having a Doha backdrop.
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The pundits will be able to see patterns of play in temperatures that will touch 30C in the group phase.
And unlike Denis Law, Ron Atkinson and Co 28 years ago, they will be allowed to show off a healthy glow.
In 1994, ITV were in Dallas but execs were worried that the pundits seemed like they had been enjoying the sun too much.
Orders from the top saw them plastered in talcum powder so they looked more pallid.
