Question for you soccer folks (and especially for
@Chongo94 )
I watch this Premier League a bit and the play doesn’t even come close to what I see during the World Cup events. Do players play harder for their country? Are players having to play more games and reserving energy in league play? Are players much more evenly matched in talent such that the parity knocks down some of the excitement? Are these teams just so darn familiar with each other’s coaching and tendencies that they can better neutralize each other? Is the officiating different?
Just seems so different in tone and feel. Just wondering.
Not sure how I've missed getting into this thread for 2 weeks, but...
I think Chongo hit on the biggest key for me in a later response, but at this point in the season there is absolutely nothing to play for at this juncture of the season for most EPL clubs. There is no threat of relegation nor is there a chance to earn a spot in any of the European competitions.
In the EPL the top 4 finishers earn spots in the Champion's League (which is why you'll want to heed Chongo's advice and watch that from the semis through the final) and the next 2 go to the UEFA Cup (still can't accept the Europa League nomenclature). There are some qualification nuances that make it more complicated than just "the next 2", but that's a simpler way of putting it. It's technically possible the EPL could send 5 clubs to the Champion's League and the FA Cup and EFL Cup winners also auto-qualify for UEFA Cup. There are usually a total of 4 Champion's League qualifiers and 3 UEFA Cup qualifiers totaling 7 from England.
The bottom 3 clubs get relegated to the next lowest division so 3 of the bottom 4-5 clubs usually have a lot to play for right now. Presently, Huddersfield and Fulham have no prayer to stay up and only BHA appear close enough to Cardiff City to sweat relegation so only 2 of the bottom 4 have meaningful games to play.
The very top of the table has Liverpool and Man City as the only sides with a realistic shot at Premier League hardware. After that you have Tottenham, Chelsea, Man U, and Arsenal all within reach of the final 2 Champion's League spots in the top 4 so that battle is fierce. Whichever of those sides doesn't make it will qualify for UEFA Cup.
So 2 teams with hope near the relegation zone and 6 teams at the top of the table make 8 of the 20 EPL sides with meaningful matches. Behind them there is essentially nothing to play for beyond pride and developing some younger players/evaluating fringe guys. I think this accounts for most of what you observed.
Beyond that the comparison to the World Cup isn't really an apples to apples comparison. Most of the time I think players play harder for their club than they do their country. The lone exception to this general rule is the World Cup. It's the single greatest competition in sport for these players and there's an importance there that can't be rivaled by a club side. Also, the fact that it only takes place every 4 years means the very best in the world usually only get 3 chances to compete in that tournament and occasionally you'll see the most elite play in 4. That rarity adds some gravity to that competition that none of the others can match. Then you add the national pride to that tournament and it takes it way over the top for these guys.