The Summer Worries that befall many Premier League Managers

Interestingly, most of the fury that is building amongst a number of esteemed Premier League clubs surrounds the impending European Under-21 Championship in Denmark this summer, but there has barely been a mention of this summer’s Copa America, to be held in Argentina. Arsene Wenger’s aversion to allowing Jack Wilshere to join Stuart Pearce’s young side this coming June has been well documented recently, and a number of other managers will be concerned by Pearce’s intentions to take Andy Carroll, Kyle Walker and several other regular first-teamers to the two-week long tournament.

However, South America’s senior equivalent begins on the 1st July and ends on the 24th, just twenty days prior to the start of next season’s Premier League. Seeing as the majority of coaches will want their squads training for at least two weeks prior to the competition, a six-week stay in Argentina awaits players who reach the final. It seems strange seeing that David Luiz, Ramires and Alex (Chelsea), Lucas and Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool), Rafael, Anderson and Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), Carlos Tevez and Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham), and Jonas Guttierez (Newcastle) face a commitment to a summer tournament of World Cup proportions following a gruelling League campaign and days before the start of a new one, that Premier League managers are not more worried about the effect of the Copa America.

Sir Alex Ferguson has even more reason to be cautious seeing as Hernandez will likely represent Mexico at the Gold Cup, a three-week tournament in North America which takes place just before the Copa America, which could potentially mean a summer schedule of twelve games in 50 days in at least nine different cities. These arrangements are enough to make any manager wince, but what are the actual consequences of playing in a competitive summer tournament? Are players affected to any great extent the following season based on their exertions for their country during their only months off in a season?

I decided to investigate following the recent announcement of the PFA Player of Year Award nominees. The original list of 6 players included four who spent their 2010 summers relaxing and enduring a full pre-season with their clubs. Bale, the eventual winner of the individual accolade, ended his 2009/2010 season on a high, and was able to develop his form going in to the current campaign having had a full football-free summer.