The stick beats the back of the owner
Fast, strong, precise, those are the three words that people used to describe Paris Saint Germain (PSG) throughout their journey in the Champions League as well as the FIFA Club World Cup. However, when they were most expected, coach Luis Enrique's team collapsed in an unbelievable way when they lost 0-3 to Chelsea in the US.
Statistics show that Chelsea dominates PSG in many indicators (except ball control).
Even in PSG's defeat, people only remember negative things like Joao Neves pulling Cucurella's hair in the 85th minute or coach Luis Enrique slapping Joao Pedro in the face when both sides were tense after the match. Those details show how helpless the Paris team is.
Perhaps, what fans are most curious about is how Chelsea managed to defeat the rising team that just destroyed Real Madrid with a score of 4-0. The answer will surprise many people. The Blues used the "hoisting own petard" tactic, using PSG's own way of operating to defeat this opponent.
Many people imagined that Chelsea would “park the bus” in front of the goal to withstand PSG’s stormy attack. However, that was not the way coach Enzo Maresca chose. As he had stated before the match, the Italian coach did not want his players to give up. Instead, Chelsea played aggressively, pressing and dominating their opponents.
“We beat PSG in the first 10 minutes,” coach Maresca declared after the match. It should be remembered that Chelsea did not open the scoring until the 22nd minute. The Italian coach’s statement shows how confident he is in his playing style.
Coach Maresca deserves much praise after helping Chelsea overcome PSG (Photo: Getty).
Before this match, PSG were the “kings of preemptive strikes”. They all scored at least 1 goal in the first 20 minutes in matches against Brest, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Inter Milan (Champions League knockout round), Atletico Madrid, Inter Miami, Real Madrid (FIFA Club World Cup).
However, in the match at Metlife Stadium on the morning of July 14, Chelsea surprised PSG by scoring 3 goals in the first half and ending the match early. PSG's motto is not to let the opponent react and arrange the system. However, they fell into a difficult situation when they were "preempted" by Chelsea.
Coach Maresca helped Chelsea do two things well. First, he paralyzed PSG's midfield with the mobile trio of Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz. Second, he showed a keen eye when exploiting the position of Nuno Mendes, who is considered the best left-back in the world at the moment. Remember, all three of Chelsea's goals came from PSG's left wing.
Let's listen to the Italian coach share his secret: "From the beginning of the match, Chelsea decided to play 1-on-1 with PSG. We did not allow them space to play. That plan worked. When facing PSG, if you do not put a lot of pressure, it will be very difficult. Our three midfielders marked PSG's three midfielders. We knew that PSG were not good at playing on the left wing. That's why I put Malo Gusto and Cole Palmer on that wing. Thanks to that, Chelsea created many opportunities from this area."
Chelsea did exactly what PSG did to torment their opponents. Maresca also brilliantly neutralized the French team’s high pressing style by pulling back a man to become a fulcrum. This simultaneously pulled PSG’s system higher and exposed the space behind.
Joao Pedro runs from centre-back Beraldo as goalkeeper Robert Sanchez passes the ball to Cucurella (Photo: The Athletic).
The ball was passed to Enzo Fernandez. At this time, Joao Pedro was ready to accelerate (Photo: The Athletic).
Joao Pedro exploits the space between centre-backs Beraldo and Marquinhos. Previously, Botafogo exploited this space to score against PSG (Photo: The Athletic).
The addition of Joao Pedro for the FIFA Club World Cup was a brilliant move by Maresca. The Brazilian striker, who Chelsea had just signed from Brighton for £60m, was only added to the squad at the quarter-final stage. However, he quickly proved his worth by scoring three goals in two games against Fluminense and PSG to help the Blues win the tournament.
In addition to his goals, Joao Pedro’s value lies in his incredibly intelligent movements. The clearest proof is the situation where the Brazilian star sneaked behind two PSG defenders, received a pass from Cole Palmer and scored Chelsea’s third goal. In addition, Joao Pedro’s man-pulling situations always opened up great spaces for the team (as analyzed below).
Joao Pedro moves to attract PSG defender (Photo: The Athletic).
Cole Palmer took advantage of the space and finished (Photo: The Athletic).
Joao Pedro moves to attract PSG defender again (Photo: The Athletic).
This allowed Malo Gusto to freely move up the right wing, exploiting Nuno Mendes' position. This was the situation that led to Chelsea's opening goal (Photo: The Athletic).
Joao Pedro moved to attract the PSG centre-back for Cole Palmer to score Chelsea's second goal (Photo: The Athletic).
Joao Pedro sneaks behind two PSG centre-backs (Photo: The Athletic).
The Brazilian striker received a pass from Cole Palmer and scored (Photo: The Athletic).
The Athletic said Chelsea’s championship was “strange” and “surreal”. In any case, the Blues’ victory is the beauty of football. It is a sport that always has too many unexpected and attractive elements. Any team can fall, even the most elaborately crafted “monster” like PSG.
Is Chelsea the strongest club in the world?
In a statement before the tournament, FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized the significance of the FIFA Club World Cup: “For the first time in history, fans will determine the strongest club in the world.”
After Chelsea won the tournament, many people turned to the FIFA chief's statement and argued on social media. The question is, is Chelsea the best team in the world at the moment?
Chelsea are showing signs of revival after a disappointing start under new boss Todd Boehly (Photo: Getty).
If PSG had won the tournament, Infantino’s statement would have received less backlash. Remember, on their journey to the Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, Chelsea only faced one major challenge, PSG. The rest of their opponents were mediocre and ranked below them.
Chelsea simply overcame PSG in one particular match. Even hero Cole Palmer is increasingly being questioned for his lack of fit into coach Enzo Maresca's tactics, having struggled in the second half of last season and most of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Even The Athletic's Tim Spiers raised the question: "Are Chelsea the best team in the world? No, their win over PSG was a big surprise. If the two teams played again tomorrow, the result would probably be completely different. In fact, I don't think Chelsea are the best team in England."
However, there is an undeniable fact that coach Maresca is helping Chelsea's young stars improve day by day, under many skeptical eyes. Over the years, owner Todd Boehly and his associates have been shopping indiscriminately and pushed Chelsea into a state of "crisis of excess and lack of direction".
In the first season of the new ownership (2022/23), Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League. In the 2023/24 season, they moved up to 6th place. Last season, The Blues successfully entered the top 4 and won the Europa Conference League. And now, they continue their success by winning the FIFA Club World Cup.
Coach Maresca is controlling the situation well and turning Chelsea into a team with great potential (Photo: Getty).
Coach Maresca is gradually taking control of the situation and shaping the framework for Chelsea (although the club is still very large). But remember, the average age of the entire Chelsea team is only 23.3 (data on Transfermarkt). It is a young and enthusiastic squad.
Winning the FIFA Club World Cup could pave the way for Chelsea to make the leap. Captain Reece James, 25, said: “I am pleased with the progress the club has made. Next season we will be competing for the Premier League title and hopefully going far in the Champions League.”
Although no one can claim that Chelsea is the best in the world, this is a team with real potential.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/fifa-club-world-cup-chuc-vo-dich-ky-la-su-sup-do-kho-tin-20250715013043549.htm
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