It’s definitely both. He absolutely has better players around him. But the bottom half of the Bundesliga has a bigger gap to the top half than it is in the Premier League.

Winks vs Ludogorets

It’s not “would rather see club playing” it’s other things. Not wanting to interrupt the flow of the season so often. Not wanting lopsided and/or meaningless matches. It’s the fixture congestion. It also has to do with ability to watch matches.

In the US, the current FIFA window is right in the middle of our playoffs, far from ideal (but that is on the league).

I don’t have a solution for making it better. Maybe, a slightly longer window, no sooner than 8 weeks apart.