Club World Cup Blues: Chelsea Embrace Variety And Brought Spice to MetLife
For some seven to nine months now, PSG have blitzed past opposition with some reckless abandon. They’ve been as diligent and disciplined as they’ve been as destructive and deadly.
As a result, very few people gave Chelsea even a fighting chance against Le Parisiens on Sunday evening at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
Legendary American ring announcer, Michael Buffer gave some buffer to a game that had the imprints of Americanism emblazoned on it. It’s hard to recall any football tournament that has had its host influence it as greatly as the Club World Cup so far.
From stadium announcement of individual players to the searing hotness of an American summer, the tournament lived up to billing sometimes and was just a bored fan’s plaything on other days.
For Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea, it was a chance to win another title. The Italian manager has not gotten enough credit for the quality of work he’s done at Chelsea. The team has an identity and have players of varying qualities adapting to his demands.
In the United States, Chelsea have proven spirits of their teams of old in how they’ve conducted themselves, driven through some thorny roads and stayed unpredictable when it mattered most.
Against PSG in the Club World Cup final, Chelsea would have found their second best tag very easy to accept, yet kept the faith that they could emerge victorious.
Their belief and confidence was evident early on with the opening ten minutes one of the best they’ve shown under Maresca. PSG have been known to sweep teams aside by pressing them to submission and leaving them on a chokehold. On Sunday, they felt every bit of that poisonous dose.
Chelsea stayed high and brave, went man for man and gave themselves a chance to emerge winners from the duels. It appeared shocking to a PSG team which has immense dominance, team and individual quality but very few variance to their systems.
Who needs many systems when there’s one that blows team out of the way? Maybe PSG. They’d have been taught a lesson in adaptability on Sunday as Chelsea upped the gears and showed another side to their quality.
The dependable Cole Palmer scored a double in half an hour minutes after going close from a speculative shot. The temperature was melting, but he stayed cool as ice and supplied two cold finishes. The England international was a thorn in flesh for PSG and forced Nuno Mendes into uncommon errors all game.
Chelsea were hardworking, effervescent and dynamic in their displays with new signing Joao Pedro adding a different dimension to their attack. The Brazilian got the third moments before the break to seal what is his first trophy as a Chelsea player.
Maresca has built an adaptable team from a group that has different strengths and abilities. They can cope in different contexts and have players who can fit into different structures as demanded by the coach. It’s the strength of their massive numbers.
Chelsea’s transfer policy may have gotten many kicks since the arrival of their American owners as it has sometimes seemed like a profiteering venture, yet it’s difficult to argue it hasn’t worked in the last one year especially as they’ve qualified for the Champions League and now won the maiden edition of the Club World Cup.
What was at some point a reason Chelsea were the butt of late night jokes is fast becoming one of their main strengths. How it can make them stronger and more formidable is left to be seen but the beginning of Maresca’s tenure has been satisfying from a neutral’s perspective.
He has a clear identity, has gotten his player’s backing and respect and gotten them to play the way he wants them to. It’s not an easy feat for a young manager in an elite club.
Paris Saint Germain have sometimes dazed the world and left everyone respecting their incredible and superfluous football but variety is a dangerous subject to face in a game that is left to many eventualities.
Chelsea have variety in abundance. It could spoil the broth on some days but on good days like the sunny Sunday at the MetLife Stadium, it is the spice of life. The reason for their joy.