CLUB WORLD CUP
Club World Cup a test of Chelsea’s elite credentials
After securing their return to the Champions League on the final day of the season, Chelsea have an early chance to show that they belong back among the elite this summer at the Club World Cup.
Enzo Maresca’s side beat Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League match to clinch fourth place after an inconsistent campaign, ending a two-season absence from Europe’s top competition.
The Blues, who reached FIFA’s revamped and expanded Club World Cup by landing a second Champions League triumph in 2021, have been handed a favourable opening raft of fixtures in the United States.
They begin their campaign in Group D on June 16 against Los Angeles FC, who battled through a play-off round against Club America to replace the disqualified Club Leon.
After that opening fixture in Atlanta, Chelsea head north to face Brazilian team Flamengo (June 20) and Tunisia’s Esperance (June 24), both in Philadelphia.
“We face formations from distant countries, with which there is no relationship (with us) like the other Premier teams or in Europe,” Maresca said.
“We prepare ourselves by trying to watch as many matches as possible of the opponents, analysing them in the smallest detail.
“We will play in America, in different stadiums and environments – it’s all a novelty, not only for us, it’s a new competition and anything can happen.”
Los Angeles boast former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, although the 38-year-old is not a regular starter.
Flamengo, who qualified by lifting the Copa Libertadores in 2022, are coached by well-regarded former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis.
Esperance have won eight of the last nine Tunisian league titles but are considered the weakest team in the group.
In the knock-out rounds, potential clashes against Bayern Munich and Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain may lie ahead.
Chelsea won the competition in its previous format in 2022, beating Brazil’s Palmeiras in the final.
There will be special interest in how new Chelsea signing Liam Delap fares after his recent move from relegated Ipswich Town.
The Blues beat Manchester United among other clubs in the race for the 22-year-old striker, who netted 12 times in 37 top-flight matches and moved for £30 million (S$52 million).
Chelsea lacked firepower up front this season with Nicolas Jackson inconsistent and Christopher Nkunku struggling badly for form.
Delap, the son of former Stoke midfielder Rory Delap, came through the Manchester City youth academy like Chelsea’s star player, Cole Palmer.
The England international’s revival towards the end of the season is a positive sign, with Palmer dazzling in the Conference League final win over Real Betis.
The 23-year-old missed Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the US last summer and Maresca said it was a chance for the playmaker to take the country by storm.
“Palmer is up there with the very best top players who can produce something at any moment, create something out of nothing,” said the coach.
“He wasn’t with me on the USA tour last summer, so it will also be a chance for him to experience the environment there and to introduce himself to North America.”
Beating Betis in Poland earned Maresca his first trophy as Chelsea manager and a deep run in the US would be another sign that the Blues are heading in the right direction.
Summer success is also important to the club’s co-owners, US businessman Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital, with nearly £100 million on the line for the winners.
While not among the set of top favourites, including English rivals City, 15-time European champions Real Madrid and PSG, Chelsea are still expected to reach the last eight.
With fans not fully sold on Maresca’s brand of possession football, and even Palmer saying he was “sick” of the ball going from side to side in the Conference League final, another trophy could help soothe any tension in south-west London.
-AFP
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Paris St Germain snatched a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday to reach the Club World Cup semi-finals, with Ousmane Dembele embodying the composure of Luis Enrique’s side as he sealed the victory when his team were down to nine men.
Dembele found the back of the net six minutes into added time after being superbly set up by Achraf Hakimi and the French forward also shone defensively by pressing relentlessly and initiating the move that led to his decisive goal.
“I’d give the Ballon d’Or to Mr Ousmane Dembele,” coach Luis Enrique said after PSG’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan. “The way he defended…only that can be worth the Ballon d’Or. This is how you lead a team.”
Dembele proved his coach right once again against Bayern.
Rested for the group stage after sustaining a thigh injury and only coming off the bench after halftime in the last 16 and in the quarter-final, Dembele brought an incredible energy to a team who had been dominated by Bayern.
“It’s an important period for us. We had a score to settle with Bayern after the 2020 (Champions League) final (won by Bayern 1-0) and after they beat us earlier this season,” captain Marquinhos said. “We want to win this competition.”
PSG went ahead through Desire Doue, his first goal in the tournament.
“I try to help the team by scoring, but also with my efforts, notably defensively,” Doue said.
PSG, seeking a quadruple of titles after winning the Champions League, French Cup and the Ligue 1 title, will face Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid for a place in the final.
They will be without centre back Willian Pacho and defender Lucas Hernandez, who picked up straight red cards after Doue’s opening goal.
“The first one is a clear red card,” coach Luis Enrique said. “I’m not sure about the second one. We deserved the win but it was really really hard. Nothing special. Business as usual.”
-Reuters
An 83rd-minute Weverton own goal from a deflected Malo Gusto cross gave Chelsea a nervy 2-1 win over a spirited Palmeiras side in the Club World Cup quarter-finals at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday.
Cole Palmer also got on the scoresheet in the first half for Chelsea, who move on to face more Brazilian opposition in Fluminense in New York on Tuesday with a place in the final on the line.
Palmeiras roared back after halftime with teenage winger Estevao, who is soon to join Chelsea, equalising in the 53rd minute with a stunning strike from a tight angle.
“Tough game as we expected,” said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. “First half, I think we were a little bit better compared to the second half, we controlled the game much better.
“But then they scored and the game changed but at the end we scored and I think we deserved to win. Congratulations to the players, because they have been very good.”
Chelsea started the match well despite missing key defensive midfield duo Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, with 21-year-old Andrey Santos making his first start some two and a half years after joining the club.
They controlled possession and repeatedly threatened through Pedro Neto, who caused chaos for Palmeiras defence down the right flank.
Palmer struck in the 16th minute, receiving a pass from Trevoh Chalobah on the edge of the box and gliding past three defenders with ease before dispatching a precise left-footed strike into the bottom corner.
Despite their dominance, Chelsea squandered several opportunities, including Christopher Nkunku’s glaring miss in the 34th minute when he blasted over with only goalkeeper Weverton to beat.
Palmeiras, missing key defenders Joaquin Piquerez, Gustavo Gomez and Murilo, struggled to contain Chelsea’s fluid attack in the first half but emerged from the break with renewed energy.
They nearly equalised when Bruno Fuchs headed narrowly wide from a corner before Estevao worked his magic with an effort that should be a strong candidate for goal of the tournament so far.
The 18-year-old showcased his immense talent by cutting in from the right, gliding past Levi Colwill and smashing an unstoppable shot from a tight angle that flew over keeper Robert Sanchez and off the underside of the crossbar.
“Happy because we won, happy because he scored, so it’s a perfect night,” Maresca said of his new signing.
Just when Palmeiras looked at their most dangerous, though, Chelsea found the winner down the other end.
Gusto found space down the left and his attempted cross deflected off defender Fuchs and wrongfooted Weverton, the ball bouncing off the goalkeeper’s back and into the net to end Palmeiras dreams of an all-Brazilian semi-final.
-Reuters
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The expanded soccer Club World Cup is proving to be a stage for managerial fresh starts, with three of the eight quarter-finalists led by coaches appointed just weeks before the tournament – and all three have already stamped their authority on their new teams.
Arguably none has made a bigger splash than Simone Inzaghi, who delivered one of the tournament’s biggest shocks when his Al Hilal side stunned Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 4-3 in a breathtaking extra-time thriller.
The 49-year-old Italian, who left Inter Milan after their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain just five weeks ago, got sweet revenge on Monday against the Premier League giants who had beaten his Nerazzurri in the 2023 Champions League final.
Inzaghi took the win by playing steady, rock-solid defence and exploring the speed of his forwards up-front with long balls that exploited their opponent’s aggressive, high-positioned defensive line.
Malcom and Marcos Leonardo were a constant menace on the counter-attack throughout the match, while his defenders managed to slow down City’s star-powered attack for most of the game.
And when they were threatened, Moroccan goalkeeper Bono worked his magic with a string of world-class saves to frustrate their opponents and keep the Saudis in the game.
Al Hilal’s reward is a quarter-final clash with tournament underdogs Fluminense, who defied the Opta supercomputer’s odds of just 0.05% to win the title and stunned Champions League runners-up Inter Milan 2-0 to reach the last eight.
Initially tipped to exit in the group stage, the Brazilian side’s remarkable run continues under Renato Gaucho, a former Fluminense striker and club legend who took charge three months ago. Renato has transformed a team that narrowly avoided relegation in 2024 into genuine contenders, with Colombian winger Jhon Arias emerging as a potential tournament MVP.
Against Inter, Fluminense showed the grit and determination that have defined their campaign with a remarkable Arias and striker German Cano once again making the difference.
Real Madrid complete the trio of new-manager success stories, with Xabi Alonso arriving a month ago to replace Carlo Ancelotti after a rare trophy-less season that included four consecutive defeats to Barcelona, including a humiliating 4-0 Clasico thrashing at the Bernabeu.
Arriving with a reputation for innovative tactics following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso has started using a five-man defence, marking a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation used by predecessors Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane over the past decade.
The change evoked memories of Vicente del Bosque’s 2000 Champions League-winning side, the last Real Madrid team to adopt such a structure, as Real prepare to face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday off the back of three consecutive wins.
As the tournament progresses, the early success of these new managerial appointments suggests that fresh ideas and bold decisions can reshape even the most storied teams.
-Reuters
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