Club World Cup hits Europe, but FC Porto were ready | OneFootball

What, at first glance, seemed like a major global showcase for the biggest clubs on the planet is now beginning to reveal a less favorable side. Months after the first edition of the Club World Cup, held in the United States, there is a pattern that is hard to ignore: several European teams that took part in the tournament are facing serious difficulties in their domestic seasons. A kind of curse that seems to be taking hold in European football.

Just look at some of the main leagues to grasp the scale of the phenomenon. In Italy, Inter – who still lead Serie A – have lost momentum in recent weeks and are going through their worst spell of the season, with four games without a win. On top of that, they have already been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League, after being clearly outmatched physically by Bodo/Glimt. Juventus are in an even more complicated situation. In fifth place, the vecchia signora are outside the Champions League qualification spots and have already been eliminated from the main domestic and European competitions.

In Spain, the picture also raises doubts. Although Real Madrid are still in the Champions League, in the league they trail Barcelona by four points and have already gone through a turbulent period that included a change in the dugout – Xabi Alonso left and Arbeloa came in. Atlético, for their part, are virtually out of the title race, 16 points off the top, clinging to the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, a competition in which they are in the final.

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund have also fallen short of expectations, building up a significant gap in the Bundesliga – nine points behind Bayern – and also being out of the cup and the Champions League. The effects of the curse have also reached Austria, where Salzburg are only fourth in the championship round after finishing the regular season in second place.

In England, the situation is even more striking. Manchester City have lost ground in the title race – they are nine points behind Arsenal – and went out of the Champions League early. Chelsea – Club World Cup winners – are enduring a chaotic season, far from the European places, down in sixth, and with a managerial change along the way, when Liam Rosenior replaced Enzo Maresca.

Benfica among those affected, FC Porto buck the trend

In Portugal, Benfica have not escaped this pattern either. Despite still being unbeaten in the league this season, the Eagles are well off the top – seven points behind FC Porto – in a campaign that has fallen short of internal expectations. Benfica were knocked out in the League Cup semi-finals, the Portuguese Cup quarter-finals and the Champions League play-off, with the Super Cup win in July ending up as their only truly positive result in a competition. It is also worth remembering that, like several of those affected by this curse, the club from Luz also changed manager during the season, with Bruno Lage leaving in September to make way for Mourinho.

By contrast, FC Porto stand out as one of the rare exceptions to this phenomenon. The Dragons have put together a consistent season, leading the league, reaching the Europa League quarter-finals and the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, having stumbled only in the League Cup, where they went no further than the quarter-finals. There is, however, one relevant detail worth noting: the blue-and-white club underwent a major overhaul after the tournament. In the summer, names such as Jakub Kiwior, Jan Bednarek, Borja Sainz, Victor Froholdt, Pablo Rosario and Alberto Costa arrived, joined by Oskar Pietuszewski, Seko Fofana, Thiago Silva and Terem Moffi in the last winter transfer window.

The early elimination in the Club World Cup group stage also led to the departure of Martín Anselmi, with Francesco Farioli taking charge and bringing a different energy back to the team. These factors ended up transforming the club, which may explain how the Dragons seem to have escaped the curse.

Besides FC Porto, only Bayern and PSG seem to be coping better with the impact, above all thanks to the depth of their squads and the lower domestic demands.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.