The Impact of International Breaks on Performance in National Leagues
When national teams have matches at any level, clubs are forced to stop their schedules temporarily. These international breaks might seem logical: national teams play, and clubs take a break. But in reality, the outcomes are much more complicated than that. Breaks have an unexpected impact on club team productivity. They change line-ups, bring about injury burdens, and ultimately affect the outcomes in the standings.
Calling up key players to the national team can have either positive or negative results. The general trends can be seen through the example of major clubs in the top 5 European leagues.
The Main Issues and Mechanisms of Impact
National teams call up the most productive players. As a result, clubs are forced to continue without their key players, preventing them from playing complete matches. While clubs are on break, their star players are involved in training camps and playing qualifying and friendly matches with national teams. This added stress is compounded with air travel and the need for physical recovery.
During the club break, the team loses its momentum. Initially, it was gaining momentum and had a series of victories. The forced break could halt this momentum. Players are scattered across national teams, training intensity decreases, player cohesion weakens, and the morale state for the season worsens.
Major clubs with strong rosters after calling up key players for the national team need to rotate. Their place is taken by weaker and less experienced players, which negatively affects productivity and stability. Whereas the clubs from which fewer players are called up, gain an advantage. Because these teams almost do not change their lineup, which allows them to continue training and play with the same efficiency against teams weakened by the national teams.
After the break, important club matches often come: the national derby, encounter with rival teams. If the club is under high stress or the key players are missing, the risk of a decline in results increases. With a congested schedule (for example, participation in the Champions League + national teams) this becomes particularly sensitive.
Some Trends and Facts
It's clear that clubs will suffer due to the calling up of key players to national teams, yet this needs confirmation. Therefore, they conduct a study of the statistics. This helps in scheduling more appropriate timetables, so that players do not get exhausted. Here are some facts that were discovered based on these analyses:
- An analysis of 5 seasons in leading leagues showed: The average points for two matches before and after the break are almost identical. For example, the big teams in the English Premier League before the break gathered on average 3.8 points, and afterwards, the value was very close to 3.8.
- In Spain, the giant clubs show improvement. For example, Real Madrid. The club after the international break was collecting on average 4.9 points, while before it was 4.1.
- Statistics for big clubs in European championships. After the break, they were winning significantly more. For instance, according to data for the 2023/24 season after international breaks, clubs of the top 5 leagues won 58 matches, 11 games ended in a draw, and only 5 were lost.
- In the English Premier League the data show unclear results. For example, Liverpool in the period from 2019/20 to 2024/25 in 20 matches after the break lost only 2 times, which became one of the best results among clubs at its level.
Despite the statistical data appearing positive, achieving excellent results after the breaks is possible only for stronger teams. Not all teams are prepared to replace their key players. In some matches, even minor injuries to players have a significant impact. Therefore, clubs try to prepare in advance for the breaks and the potential consequences of them. This also helps in monitoring the impact of international breaks on subsequent matches, and also comparing the likelihoods between teams. And to be able to do this easily, you can register at Melbet, because the platform provides live streaming of any match with detailed statistics and various betting opportunities.
Why do some clubs benefit after the break, and others suffer?
The unclear results after the break have several explanations. They are related to the club's organizational system, and also to the individual level of the players. For example, big teams may not even notice that part of their players went to national team training camps. They have a roster deep enough to easily and without losses replace players with other players.
While the key players are with the national teams, the rest of the team has time to analyze its strengths and previous mistakes. Thanks to this, after activities resume, they may offer better quality football.
There are clubs that gather the best players from different countries around the world. Eventually, a large part of them may be called up to their national teams. As a result, the club team is exposed to severe losses, as their players are subjected to negative factors:
- Air travel;
- Intensive training;
- The minimum recovery time between matches;
- Fatigue;
- Injuries.
Not all clubs are able to recover quickly from these losses. And if a difficult match is added immediately after the break - avoiding losses in productivity will be difficult.
International breaks - a double-edged sword. They give national teams a chance to prove themselves, but for clubs, they can be an opportunity to improve results or a risk of losing previous progress.
The impact of international breaks is not just on the top 5 leagues in Europe. In other championships, organizers might change the schedule taking into account the national team schedule. But the less famous the team, the fewer top players they have who are frequently called up to represent their country. In any case, international breaks affect European football, and this is something that fans, especially those interested in the productivity of their favorite players, should be aware of.
