Heisenberg: I’m not overly concerned. We’ll get clearer information before the deadline on those who went deep at the World Cup.
The Premier League intentionally shifted the start to 21 August, giving more than a month between the World Cup final and the first league fixtures, which should be enough recovery time.
The main talking point is Haaland, who didn’t look sharp in Manchester City’s comprehensive 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and played only 53 minutes. Even so, he surely starts City’s opener against Bournemouth.
Holly: I expect the World Cup to significantly shape the early weeks of the season, with many players from Manchester City, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Liverpool involved late in the tournament. Semi-finalists only returned to pre-season about a week ago.
I’m actively steering clear of players who went deep into the competition. The calendar keeps getting more congested, and a full pre-season is vital to limit fatigue.
Pras: It’s hard to apply a one-size-fits-all approach—how far each player progressed matters. The key checkpoint is the final round of pre-season friendlies, held last weekend. Anyone who played 50 minutes or more there should be fine for gameweek one.
Players from the semi-final nations (Spain, France, England, Argentina) who are only now rejoining training are higher risk. Popular picks still look mostly fine, but it’s a case-by-case call rather than a blanket avoid.
Gianni: Lack of pre-season could really affect some of FPL’s headline names, and I’m curious how many who reached the latter World Cup rounds start gameweek one. With that in mind, I’m cautious about picking Rayan Cherki (£7.5m) and leaning toward players with an extra month of preparation, like Phil Foden (£7m).