Bayern Munich League position heading into World Cup: 1st (34 points from 15 games.)
Where they’re going: Bayern will let the team go on holiday on Dec. 10, start training again on Jan. 3 and will hold a training camp in Qatar between Jan. 6-12 in preparation for the restart of the season on Jan. 20.
What they’re doing: In all, 17 out of 23 first-team players will be at the World Cup. The small group staying in Munich have been granted a week off before they return to the training pitch, where manager Julian Nagelsmann will prepare individual exercises for them.
The Bayern players in Qatar are expected to return to Munich once eliminated from the World Cup unless Nagelsmann gives them additional time to rest, which will be a player-by-player decision. Nagelsmann has called the planning for the winter break “challenging” because of all the uncertainty involved, which might explain why Bayern have not yet released a schedule with any friendlies.
Notable players going to the World Cup: GK Manuel Neuer (Germany), MF Joshua Kimmich (Germany), FW Thomas Muller (Germany), MF Jamal Musiala (Germany), MF/FW Serge Gnabry (Germany), DF Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands), DF Alphonso Davies (Canada ), Sadio Mane (Senegal.)
Notable players left behind: MF Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands, not selected), Marcel Sabitzer (Austria, failed to qualify), Bouna Sarr (Senegal, injured.)
What they need to focus on: The most important aspect is load management, as so many players are likely to stay in Qatar for a while. Given that Bayern have performed quite well in recent weeks, Nagelsmann does not need to introduce a lot of new tactical elements; instead, they need to work on the finer details that ought to be improved. More importantly, he and his staff have to prepare the team’s fitness and figure out how to make the players peak in April and May, when Bayern could compete in the quarterfinals and potentially semifinals of the Champions League. — Constantin Eckner.
League position heading into World Cup: 6th (25 points from 15 games.)
Where they’re going: Dortmund are touring Asia between Nov. 21 and Dec. 1. In January, they will travel to Marbella in southern Spain for a training camp in preparation for the restart of the season.
What they’re doing: Dortmund will play three friendlies in Asia, with scheduled games against Lion City Sailors (Singapore), the Malaysian side Johor Southern Tigers and the Vietnam national team. These three games won’t have much of a competitive character as the club decided to travel across the world mainly for promotional purposes. The real preparation for the second half of the season starts in January when BVB travel to Spain. There, head coach Edin Terzic and his staff intend to bring the players back to the required fitness level and work on tactical weaknesses.
Notable players going to the World Cup: MF Jude Bellingham (England), MF/FW Giovanni Reyna (United States ), DF Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal), FW Youssoufa Moukoko (Germany.)
Notable players left behind: FW Marco Reus (Germany, injured/not selected), DF Mats Hummels (Germany, not selected.)
What they need to focus on: Understandably, the mood within the club was negatively affected by two consecutive losses before the break. Terzic even said that Dortmund will start the second half of the season at “less than zero,” meaning that his team have to catch up to their leading pack in the Bundesliga.
BVB have been struggling at both ends of the field and in all four phases of the game recently. The back line suffers from a lack of communication; the build-up often looks unimaginative; and the undoubtedly talented attacking players are rarely put in situations where they can shine. Bellingham has tried to put the team on his shoulders, but the young midfielder looked tired in recent weeks.
Terzic has the backing of the board and will be given time to gather more experience, but he still needs to show the leadership and tactical skills to improve his team’s performances. Most importantly, he has to find tactical structures with and without the ball that make Dortmund better than the sum of its parts. Individual quality alone won’t be enough to challenge Bayern for the title or even qualify for next year’s Champions League. — Constantin Eckner
Paris Saint-Germain League position heading into World Cup: 1st (41 points from 15 games.)
Where they’re going: Staying in Paris, with no training camp abroad planned.
What they’re doing: The squad is due back at the Camp des Loges training ground between Dec. 5-7. The exact date will depend on each player’s latest activity. Those who didn’t take part in the World Cup will be back earlier, while for others, the date will depend on how far they went in the tournament or if they have just been knocked out.
Manager Christophe Galtier will give the World Cup players a few days off after their country’s elimination. Considering the amount of PSG players going to Qatar, there will be a lot of case-by-case evaluations when it comes to returning to training. There will be a lot of fitness work done as a group at the start, while the individual players gradually returning from the World Cup will do solo fitness work to catch up before joining the group. There will be one or two friendly matches (no opposition or dates have yet been confirmed) before the team’s first competitive game back, which is Dec. 28 or 29 at home against Strasbourg .
Notable players going to the World Cup: FW Kylian Mbappe (France), FW Lionel Messi (Argentina), FW Neymar (Brazil), DF Marquinhos (Brazil), DF Achraf Hakimi (Morocco ), MF Vitinha (Portugal), DF Nuno Mendes (Portugal), DF Danilo Pereira (Portugal), GK Keylor Navas (Costa Rica .)
Notable players left behind: DF Presnel Kimpembe (France, withdrew due to injury), DF Sergio Ramos (Spain, not selected), MF Renato Sanches (Portugal, not selected), MF Marco Verratti (Italy, failed to qualify), GK Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, failed to qualify.)
What they need to focus on: PSG’s second half of the season will be huge. They are not fully clear of the competition in Ligue 1 yet, as Lens are hanging on five points behind them. The big challenge is the Champions League round-of-16 tie against Bayern in mid-February. Galtier will make sure that the fitness work gets his players at their peak for that game, while they will also work on their defensive transitions and finding a better balance.
The club are looking to strengthen the squad in January with the arrival of a centre-back (possibly Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan), a midfielder and a forward (possibly Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid). Money will be available for Galtier and sporting director Luis Campos, and they have time to work out what players will fit best. — Julien Laurens.
