The Qatar World Cup is a tournament that has always been defined by its abnormalities.
Born out of alleged bribery and riddled by a wrath of geopolitical and ethical issues, it was always going to be a footballing event in the spotlight for reasons aside from just occurrences on the pitch.
But, on the footballing side of things, it is also a World Cup that stands out and is like no other. Hosted in the northern hemisphere's winter, it is the first of its kind.
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During any regular World Cup, players not selected, or whose nations aren't involved, will be in the middle of their off-season, unwinding after a long season.
But this time around things are quite different. Instead, with the tournament falling in the middle of the season for most, switching off isn't an option for those not participating.
Whereas a post-season World Cup would fall during the post-season period and conclude as pre-season commences, the 2022 edition in Qatar has left barely any time either side of the competition. This is such that Manchester United face Burnley in the Carabao Cup a mere three days after the World Cup final.
Hereby, the only logical option has been for clubs to embark on training camps and arrange friendlies to allow players not competing in Qatar to maintain fitness and match sharpness ahead of the season's resumption.
The sort of turnaround being experienced is unheard of, thus it is a necessity that players not involved in the World Cup remain primed.
This is all especially pertinent for clubs in the elite bracket with players progressing late into the World Cup, with alternative options likely required given those who featured in Qatar will be granted a brief rest period after exiting the tournament.
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United's training camp in Spain could be crucial given 11 first team players have progressed to the quarter-finals of the World Cup and likely won’t return in time to face Burnley.
They played the first of two preparatory friendlies in Spain on Wednesday evening, facing La Liga outfit Cadiz. And, while these matches are primarily to aid maintenance of match fitness, they do provide opportunities in different regards.
Younger players who have made the trip are given a chance to experience being with the first team for matches, also with scope to prove their worth to Erik ten Hag. Similarly, fringe players that have lacked opportunity also have a chance to stake a claim for being more regular features under Ten Hag.
And for Ten Hag himself, there is an opportunity to evaluate some alternative options while also spending more time with particular members of his squad to further strengthen relationships during his still-early stages as United manager.
Additionally, while it is difficult and far from ideal without many core members of his side, Ten Hag is afforded some time to work on further instilling his principles with those available.
The time away from competitive football will have been irritating for Ten Hag in that momentum being built has been halted, but it will have afforded valuable time to assess progress so far this term while setting out plans for the remainder of the campaign.
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Result wise, Ten Hag will have been dissatisfied after United's meeting with Cadiz, with his side falling to a 4-2 defeat in southern Spain. However, the primary aim of the arranged friendlies is for fitness to be maintained, plus there are reasonable caveats with regards to the outcome anyway.
United fell two goals down inside 15 minutes, but the nature of the concessions pointed towards the fact that United were fielding a fairly makeshift side - consisting of regulars, fringe players, and youth - against an established top-flight side given Cadiz only had one World Cup representative. Cohesion was always bound to be inferior, and that did lead to relinquishing of control and a lack of much rhythm.
The goals conceded also proved the value of such matches in order to allow sharpness to be at peak level for the season resumption. The first goal came after Brandon Williams committed an unnecessary foul, with the resultant free-kick seeing Victor Lindelof fail to prevent the headed goal-scoring attempt.
Both of United's full-backs struggled, returning to the fray after injury issues and spells out of the regular picture. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was also somewhat culpable for a concession, failing to prevent the cross from which Cadiz doubled their advantage.
In Williams' case, his appearance brought to an end seven months on the sidelines. For him and Wan-Bissaka, in addition to others such as Martin Dubravka, Teden Mengi and Zidane Iqbal included from the start, the outing was a valuable opportunity to rebuild sharpness. It is much better to sacrifice performances in these matches to build for the longer term.
For Iqbal, the opportunity proved more than just being for the purpose of 'minutes in the tank'. He often showed quality on the ball, and he showed incision to produce a one-two before a burst into the 18-yard box won a penalty for United. Anthony Martial nonchalantly converted with a Panenka.
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It was in the second half against Cadiz where the watchword of 'opportunity' really rose to distinctive prominence. Ten Hag opted to change the entire outfield side, introducing an array of young players, giving them valuable experience against a senior side from one of Europe's major leagues.
To their credit, there was a display of coherence not synonymous with the concoction of players featuring in the first half. They displayed an air of boldness and showed enthusiasm, unsettling an experienced opposition.
A matter of minutes after their introduction after the break, the youthful United side equalised through exciting, Stockport-born midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who is only 17 years old. It was a goal that embodied the lively qualities of the performance, with Mainoo exhibiting persistence and ultimately finding his shot deflected past the Cadiz goalkeeper.
In the end, Cadiz did show their nous to retake the lead and consolidate a victory with two more goals. The deficit in terms of experience showed for United, with some lapses telling of their inexperience at such a level.
For Cadiz's fourth goal, a slack piece of play when attempting to play out from the back saw United punished. The tempo is higher than anything experienced at youth level - even in a friendly. And while United's youngsters showed a laudable work ethic, any error was always going to be pounced on.
But, at the end of the day, it is all a learning process. And that is the main thing associated with the opportunity granted.
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Essentially, it feels the football world is split into two at the moment; club football is continuing to operate while the most prestigious tournament of all continues on the international stage.
Clubs are presently in a phase that can pretty much be labelled as a mid-season pre-season, but with fragmented squads as a result of the World Cup continuing to rage on.
But, while an oddity, opportunity is offered. And that was shown during United's meeting with Cadiz.
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