Lung-bursting commitment week-in, week-out has left English-based players on
the verge of burnout when they play in major international tournaments

After that stunning first game for Holland against Spain we would all have been expecting Robin van Persie to be one of the stars of the tournament but, in reality, he has been far from it. I have been very disappointed with him and he really does not seem to have stretched himself in any of the other games.

In fact, the Premier League's players as a whole have not performed brilliantly at these World Cup finals - I am struggling to think of many that have really stood out.

Aside from Vincent Kompany, who was outstanding and solid as a rock in all of Belgium's games, very few Premier League players have made an impression.

Everton's Tim Howard played brilliantly against Belgium for the United States and Tim Krul of Newcastle United obviously made an indelible mark on the tournament but he only faced five penalties having come on for the shoot-out against Costa Rica. But there are not many others to stand out.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard is another player who has failed to transfer his excellent form from the Premier League to the grandest stage of all. Against Argentina he was the one Belgium player you were relying on to do something special but he hardly gave them anything. He was a disaster in that last game.

In fact Belgium were a big disappointment all round. Twelve months ago you would have been looking at the likes of Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen, Romelu Lukaku, Marouane Fellaini and Kevin Mirallas and thinking how good are Belgium going to be? But there was a definite dip in their performance later in the competition.

It is also interesting to look at the French back four. They made it to the quarter-finals and were agonisingly close to reaching the last four, infinitely further than England managed. But when you consider that Mathieu Debuchy, Laurent Koscielny and Patrice Evra would struggle to get into the England team where does that leave you?

Just look at the USA team. I would say 95 per cent of them would not be included in the England squad but they played with passion and displayed many of the elements that Roy Hodgson's players lacked.

We are now seeing the peculiar prospect of average Premier League players such as Martin Demichelis and Ron Vlaar possibly going on to win the World Cup. Argentina's Demichelis performed much better towards the end of the season with Manchester City but if you'd have been told he could be a contender for a World Cup winners' medal shortly after he signed you would have laughed in their face.

Vlaar has struggled against relegation with Aston Villa for every season since he's signed from Feyenoord but has been lifted by playing in this competition for Holland.

Per Mertesacker has also struggled in a Germany defence that has played some kamikaze stuff on many occasions and somehow got away with it.

For so many of the players based in England to struggle, playing in supposedly the best league in the world, raises the inevitable question as to whether there should be a winter break. That argument has only been strengthened by the fact that Germany and Holland - two countries to have introduced winter breaks to their leagues - have made the last four.

I can see the logic behind introducing it to the Premier League but would it make a significant difference? I am not so sure. While there is no doubt the World Cup's English players definitely arrived more tired than any of their continental counterparts, I believe more of that is down to the way they play.

Football is so intense in England that there is no conserving of energy. It is lung-bursting commitment and hell for leather week-in, week-out. That seems to leave English players on the verge of burnout when they play in major international tournaments.

But then you have to consider somebody like Dirk Kuyt. He played in the Premier League for many years with Liverpool and even now when he steps out on the field he is fresh as a daisy and can run all day.

Therefore I am not convinced that a winter break in England would necessarily be the answer to improve their fortunes.

One thing is clear, however, and that is there has not been one stand-out team. The fact of the matter is that before Tuesday night's game between Brazil and Germany you looked at the four countries left and thought they all have a chance. That is simply because they are all similar in that they are not great.

Lionel Messi would be the standout player but there has not been one team to stampede their way through it. Usually you will see a country early on in the knockout stages and think, ‘they're nailed on to win' but not this time. It has been a memorable World Cup but predicting a winner has left me at a loss.