The World Cup in Brazil has been one of the greatest in living memory but bizarrely absent from the limelight have been the vast array of Premier League talents.
The group stage in particular saw attack dominate defence with more goals scored than any other World Cup since the group stage moved to the 32-team format in 1998.
From the sweltering heat of the jungle in the northern city of Manaus to the cooler climate of Porto Alegre, each stadium has hosted classic matches that have showcased the best talent in the world.
The tournament has seen many instances of individual players showing just why they are considered to be the best in the world.
Lionel Messi was responsible for dragging Argentina through the earlier rounds and Colombia’s James Rodriguez showed why Monaco were willing to splash out €45 million for him last summer.
Neymar, another player who has almost single handedly been responsible for his team’s progression in to the later stages, has shown flashes of skill and finishing which have silenced many of the doubters of his ability.
However, out of the players that have really stood out in this tournament there are very few that ply their trade in the Premier League.
And considering that Premier League champions Manchester City had no less than 10 players taking part in Brazil, it is surprising that none of the Blues contingent have performed on the greatest stage in the world.
James Milner, Joe Hart, Fernandinho, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Martin Demichelis, Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Vincent Kompany were all in Brazil representing their respective nations and not one of them has made the world sit up and take notice.
The Argentinian contingent consisting of Aguero, Demichelis and Pablo Zabaleta have fared the best in terms of progressing through the tournament, but Aguero and Demichelis in particular have failed to put in the performances you would expect.
Arguably Kompany has been relatively solid in the centre of the Belgian defence and there is no doubt he is a world class defender, but in a team that was content to sit back and provide lots of protection for its back four it is difficult to know just how much of an impact he has made.
And considering it was his slack possession on the ball which eventually lead to Gonzalo Higuain scoring the only goal in their quarter-final game against Belgium it is fair to say he has also had an underwhelming tournament.
The English players, Hart and Milner, were as poor as one would expect in a team that fell at the first hurdle, and Dzeko only managed to find the net for Bosnia-Herzegovina once they had already been eliminated.
Arguably one of the Premiership’s players of the season, Yaya Toure, failed to dominate the midfield for Ivory Coast, as we have been used to him doing in a Sky Blue shirt.
So what is the reason for such a dismal showing from a group of players that up until the middle of May looked like world beaters?
Many observers would point to the gruelling nature of a long, physical Premier League season as the reason some players of City’s players looked like they would rather be recuperating on Copacabana beach.
There is no doubt that England’s top division is certainly one of the toughest to compete in, however, many people will think that athletes at the peak of physical fitness should be able to cope with (at most) an extra month of football with the greatest prize in the sport awaiting the victor.
This then begs the question, are there other factors that have affected the performances of these players?
Again, looking at the players that have performed at this World Cup, Messi,Neymar, Rodriguez, Arjen Robben, Thomas Muller, Alexis Sanchez… it might be said that these players failed to achieve exactly what they set out at the beginning of the domestic season.
Robben and Muller, despite winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich at a canter, would have ear-marked retaining the Champions League as their main goal last season.
Messi, Neymar and Sanchez had what must be considered a disappointing season at Barcelona, finishing runners-up in La Liga and the Copa del Rey and only reaching the quarter-finals in the Champions League.
These players would have come into the tournament with a point to prove, wanting to show the world what they are capable of, wanting to prove that they deserve the hype that surrounds them during the domestic season.
The Sky Blue players did not seem have a point to prove, or if they did they certainly haven’t proved it.
Following a frantic finale to the 2013-14 English Premier League season where Liverpool looked to have it all sewn up with just a couple of games remaining, is it fair to say that, once City had regained their Premier League crown, many of the players thought it was a case of ‘job done’.
Many would also point to their attempt to retain the Premier League crown two seasons ago when, despite having an arguably stronger side, they fell well short of pushing city rivals United all the way in what was Alex Ferguson’s last season in charge.
The ex-United manager is an ideal example of a competitor who has that winning mentality.
He made sure that he, and by extension his team, would compete as hard as they could at every given opportunity.
And when they did fall short, you would be under no doubt that they would come back and make sure they did not fail a second time.
Just as they did in the 2012-13 season when they blew all opposition away with what has to be accepted as a mediocre team.
Many looking from the outside in would argue that this is an inevitable result of a club that makes sure it pays the best players in the world the biggest wages.
Does this method of recruitment cause players to re-prioritise their goals?
On Andy Murray’s exit from Wimbledon, it has emerged that he has admitted that he wasn’t at his peak, mentally, for the tournament.
He has stated that it took him a while to regain his hunger and desire to win after his victory at Wimbledon last year.
It could be that the City players have suffered from the same mental stagnation: true winners need to win at all costs in any situation. They will do whatever it takes to make sure they leave the arena as victor…
And if they don’t they will know that they have given everything in their attempt.
Many will consider there is still a question mark over whether the players at Manchester City have the desire to succeed and prove time and time again that they are worthy champions?
Of course the answer will come next season when the City players will be required to show that they have the hunger to retain what was a hard fought and deserved crown, in what will undoubtedly be another gruelling Premier League campaign.
Main image courtesy of talksport via YouTube, with thanks.
