Six-week sprint to the World Cup and Denmark kit makes waves

The Independent’s football newsletter [The Independent]( September 30, 2022 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Premier League prepares for six-week sprint as Denmark make waves with 'statement' kit Six-week sprint time in the Premier League From this weekend, 1 October and the north London derby, through for the next six weeks up until 13 November and the, well, the Edwin van der Sar and Louis Saha derby, it is now a relentless schedule of games to be won and points to be made up for sides in the Premier League. No more international breaks until the international break for the World Cup and, presumably, no more interruptions of any kind - as it will become near-impossible to make up the fixtures otherwise. A club such as Leeds, for example, with no European action to take care of, will still play at least nine times in the upcoming run. A club in Uefa competitions such as Liverpool or Chelsea have 13 fixtures to get through in the same timespan. Rotation, injuries, preventative measures and ever-more irate post-match manager interviews are likely to become the norm. We'll be just over a third of the way through the league campaign by the time the select few head to Qatar, and decidedly behind schedule as a result. New managers, and the next new ones As discussed in this column last week, more than one club is pondering the potential for change this side of the winter transfer market. For those who have not already taken the plunge, the World Cup break provides a natural cut-off point to reassess the season and bring in new faces and ideas on the training pitch, if they can even afford to wait that long. It won't be a surprise, therefore, that one of the highlights of the weekend fixture list is Monday night's game at the King Power Stadium: Leicester, bottom, host Nottingham Forest, 19th, with both managers under pressure to find points quickly. One place above them in the table heading into the weekend, David Moyes obviously has plenty of credit in the bank at West Ham - but a run of games now against Wolves, Anderlecht twice, Fulham and Southampton has to be the catalyst for progress and points in both competitions. Meanwhile, two bosses have just enjoyed, or perhaps endured, a chaotic week or two with their new clubs. Graham Potter will have had only half a squad to work with during the international break, while Roberto De Zerbi only received his visa to officially start taking sessions partway through this week. A trip to Liverpool will be a tough opening for the new Brighton head coach, but then it's a week between games and plenty of time on the training ground. Not only England who are suffering before the finals Even those supporters who are not fans of mid-season international action can have allowed criticism and complaints of England, and Gareth Southgate, to completely escape their attentions. But heading into the most muddled and unpredictable tournament timing ever, the Three Lions are far from the only nation who do not have their house in order. Group rivals USA have been dismal, losing to Japan, drawing with Saudi Arabia and failing to score a single goal in this break. Several key positions are yet to have a sure starting name and boss Gregg Berhalter has chopped and changed his approach, if not his formation, with alarming regularity. Spain boss Luis Enrique has openly admitted that he changed his mind several times over a starting line-up (before suffering defeat), Cameroon were beaten twice by Asian opponents, Uruguay lost key defender Ronald Araujo to injury and Iran's FA locked fans out of their game with Senegal over fears crowd trouble would arise, amid significant social unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Denmark, Hummel, Qatar and Fifa Meanwhile and still on the international scene, Denmark's World Cup kit has made itself extremely visible, by the suppliers stating they wished to be invisible. Hummel kits are typically adorned with chevrons and their bumblebee logo but in Qatar, both will be almost undiscernible - along with the Danish crest - with the kitmakers saying it is a "protest against Qatar and its human rights record." The black third kit, they explain, is "the colour of mourning", appropriate for "a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives". Naturally, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for the Fifa World Cup 2022 had a response: "We dispute Hummel’s claim that this tournament has cost thousands of people their lives. Furthermore, we whole-heartedly reject the trivialising our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built stadiums and other tournament projects. We urge the [Danish FA] to accurately convey the outcome of their extensive communication and work with the SC, and to ensure that this is accurately communicated to their partners at Hummel." With pressure still being applied to Fifa to ensure compensation is paid out to the families of those who suffered during the preparation of the tournament of stadiums, there's a long way yet to go for the host nation to convince everyone and offer proof of their improved worker conditions, let alone fully explain how they stand by a tally of just three worker deaths during construction. Lionesses heading back to Wembley The biggest success story of the year was unquestionably England Women's team's success at Euro 2022. As such, it's fitting that they'll return to the scene of their great triumph when they face United States at Wembley on 7 October, before playing Czech Republic at Brighton's Amex Stadium four days later. Sarina Wiegman's side will then continue their preparations for the 2023 Women's World Cup by taking the Lionesses to Murcia, Spain, where they will play friendlies against Japan and Norway at the elite Pinatar Arena centre.   Top stories [Denmark supplier announces World Cup kits designed to ‘protest against Qatar and its human rights record’]( [Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe out for two months after groin surgery](   Karl's Dispatches I'm not going to apologise for bringing up what seems to be one of football's marmite topics here this week: Fantasy Premier League. The official FPL site handily lets you see previous seasons, which allowed me to accurately judge it had been four years since I had last bothered to get involved with it. And yet...somehow, this term, both myself and others who had been similarly distanced from raging over 59th-minute subs and assists removed for the most minor deflections have been once more utterly consumed by it. So far, that is. There comes a point in the campaign when it escapes the attentions of many, even if they set out intending to "play it properly this season". Perhaps this long old international break is that moment - so if, like me, you've been muddling along in mid-table, perhaps this is your moment to seize the initiative, stay committed to the course and make three or four big calls to change your line-up. And then inevitably wallow in weekend misery when your new striker is taken off injured after 15 minutes.     QUOTE OF THE WEEK "We don’t wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives. We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn’t the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation." Hummel's Denmark kit for the World Cup is a deliberate and direct statement   Reading the game quiz Reading the game quiz Roberto De Zerbi faces a difficult task this weekend but how many earned an immediate 'bounce' in 21/22? Last season, after the first Premier League game of the campaign onwards, 10 managerial changes took place. Of the 10 incoming bosses, five won their very first game in charge in any competition - name them. Interim or caretaker managers do not count unless they spent more than three fixtures in charge (so Michael Carrick, Duncan Ferguson and Graeme Jones are excluded). For a bonus point, name the sole departing manager from those 10 who won his final fixture in charge. ([You can find out the answers here](. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too)   INDYBEST /BEST SPORTS BUY]( 8 best foam rollers to help speed up exercise recovery Pushing for the burn? These accessories will help you limber up and ease sore muscles [Click here for our reviews](   Essential reading [Gareth Southgate pinning England World Cup hopes on his Harry Maguire rebuilding job](   [Fantasy Premier League tips gameweek 9: Mohamed Salah, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke and more](   OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Sports Brief] Sports Brief Every Monday, 6pm (UK time) Written by Ben Burrows [Join now]( [Fantasy Football] Fantasy Football Every Thursday, 6pm (UK time) Written by Mark Critchley [Join now]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). 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