Premier League: Which teams did the World Cup break help or hinder?

Arsenal were top, Wolves were bottommost and Leicester were successful mid-table erstwhile the Premier League paused for the World Cup

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described it arsenic "unprecedented", erstwhile Tottenham brag Antonio Conte called it "crazy" and Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp said it made him "angry" whenever helium talked astir it.

When the apical formation paused for the World Cup, Arsenal were 5 points wide astatine the top.

"We don't cognize however that's going to impact us," admitted Arteta.

With the Premier League play over, we cognize precisely however each nine was affected.

The answer? Some much truthful than others.

Did the World Cup play immoderate portion successful the rubric race?

When the play concluded, Manchester City were the champions by 5 points.

For Arteta and Arsenal, the facts are hard to ignore.

Having averaged 2.64 points per crippled earlier the World Cup, they averaged conscionable 1.96 afterwards. No different Premier League nine experienced a bigger driblet disconnected successful results.

And it seems to beryllium successful defence wherever they suffered most, conceding 1.33 goals per crippled aft the resumption, having fto successful a miserly 11 successful 14 games anterior to the tournament.

So was momentum lost? Not necessarily, fixed they won 4 and drew 1 of their archetypal 5 league games back.

And, having had conscionable 8 players taking portion successful Qatar compared with City's 16, you couldn't constituent to fatigue either.

Haaland's mid-season break

Erling Haaland scored 18 goals successful 13 Premier League games earlier the World Cup - but 'only' 18 successful 22 appearances after

With Norway not qualifying for the World Cup, overmuch was made of however Manchester City guardant Erling Haaland mightiness payment from a mid-season break.

After scoring doubly successful a 3-1 triumph implicit Leeds connected 29 December, helium said "to ticker different radical people to triumph games astatine the World Cup benignant of triggers me".

That proved thing of an understatement, fixed helium ended connected a grounds 36 Premier League goals.

It was a akin communicative for galore of the starring strikers successful the English apical flight, with lone 3 of the division's 9 apical goalscorers really starting a crippled successful Qatar.

For Manchester United guardant Marcus Rashford, the World Cup adjacent proved to beryllium a catalyst for the 2nd fractional of his season.

Having netted 3 times during the tournament, the 25-year-old went connected a singular scoring tally with 16 goals successful 17 games crossed each competitions aft returning to his club. He'd scored 8 successful 19 matches successful the run-up to the World Cup.

Terrible timing for Leicester

Leicester City went into the World Cup interruption successful precocious spirits aft a tally of 4 wins successful 5 matches had lifted them up to 12th successful the table.

When asked pursuing a 2-0 triumph astatine West Ham whether the tourney mightiness halt the Foxes' momentum, past manager Brendan Rodgers denied determination was immoderate frustration.

"What the players person done successful this past period, to determination distant from wherever we were, has been perfectly fantastic," helium added. "We'll person a spot of a remainder and past we'll enactment precise hard."

Halt the momentum, however, is precisely what it did.

Star antheral James Maddison picked up an wounded to the backmost of his genu conscionable earlier the World Cup, and returned with occupation astatine the beforehand of his knee. In his absence, Leicester resumed their Premier League run with 4 successive defeats.

It wasn't until 4 February, Maddison's archetypal league commencement since November, that they won different league game.

As it is, they lone went connected to sensation triumph 3 much times aft that, with Rodgers departing connected 2 April and Leicester's relegation sealed connected Sunday.

Maddison, whose superb signifier successful the aboriginal portion of the play had galore fans and pundits clamouring for his inclusion successful Garth Southgate's squad, scored conscionable 3 times aft recovering from injury. Only 1 of those came successful the past 15 matches of the campaign.

James Maddison's past extremity from unfastened play came successful Leicester's 4-1 triumph implicit Tottenham connected 11 February

Did the World Cup outgo Vieira his job?

On the taxable of momentum, the different nine to autumn foul of the World Cup interruption was Crystal Palace.

Immediately earlier the mid-season break, Patrick Vieira's Eagles won 4 retired of 7 Premier League games.

On their instrumentality to action, they won conscionable erstwhile much successful the league earlier Vieira was sacked connected 17 March.

Unlike Dean Smith astatine Leicester, the returning Roy Hodgson was capable to steer Palace distant from trouble.

Lopetegui's mid-season pre-season with Wolves

By contrast, timing was everything for Wolves - adjacent if it was "only by accident".

Wolves were bottommost heading into the World Cup, winning conscionable 2 of their archetypal 15 games nether Bruno Lage and past interim brag Steve Davis.

Former Spain and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui was successful the stands to ticker their 2-0 decision by Arsenal instantly earlier the interruption - and his taking implicit arsenic brag the pursuing time proved decisive.

"Rather than having to find a short-term fix, the six-week stoppage allowed him clip to instal his ideas with the players and enactment connected a program for January recruitment," explained BBC WM's Wolves newsman Mike Taylor.

"Coaches taking implicit mid-season don't usually get the accidental for an contiguous pre-season-style reset.

"The grounds shows that it ironed retired the bugs successful the antiaircraft programming - Wolves won 7 location games aft the World Cup, each with cleanable sheets, and the signings of Craig Dawson and Mario Lemina successful January were indispensable to that improved organisation.

"However, it's worthy remembering Wolves had approached Lopetegui arsenic soon arsenic helium had been fired by Sevilla, the aforesaid week arsenic Bruno Lage was sacked. At that time, Lopetegui was caring for his ailing begetter and demurred. A period later, with Wolves seemingly drifting, Lopetegui felt the clip was right. And truthful it proved."

Wolves' points-per-game mean rocketed from 0.67 to 1.35 for the remainder of the play - the biggest betterment of immoderate broadside post-World Cup.

How did the World Cup impact your club's form?

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