Do Chelsea Even Have a Chance in the Club World Cup Final?
Chelsea beat Fluminense FC on Tuesday to advance to the Club World Cup Final. On Wednesday, they watched PSG decimate Real Madrid in ways we haven’t seen in a long time. The Parisians have won every trophy they’ve competed for this year. They’ve won their last four games against European teams by a combined score of 15-0. PSG has the Ballon d’Or favorite on their team and has elite players at every position. Their path to the final has also been more difficult than Chelsea’s. Taking all this into consideration, does Chelsea even have a chance at winning Sunday’s final?
Chelsea, in their own right, have been impressive in their run to the final. They beat Benfica in extra time and have taken down two Brazilian teams, Palmeiras & Fluminense. PSG presents a challenge that Chelsea haven’t yet faced in this tournament. In the Prem, Chelsea totaled 14 points in ten matches against the other “big six” clubs. For reference, Manchester City finished with 11. Unfortunately for the Blues, PSG have won five of their last seven matches against Premier League teams, as they eliminated three of them in the Champions League. Going into Sunday, Chelsea has two distinct advantages: their squad depth and physicality. Here’s how they can maximize those advantages.
During Sunday’s final, temperatures are expected to be around the mid-80s. Even though there will be cooling breaks, the bench play will be important for both teams as the heat will be a factor. Chelsea has one of the tournament’s deepest teams, as they’ve used the most players in the tournament. PSG are tied for the third-fewest number of players used. Just to show how deep Chelsea’s squad is, they can play either João Pedro, Nicolas Jackson, or Liam Delap up top, who all have consistent Premier League experience. No player for Chelsea has played in every minute of the tournament, and none have started every match. PSG have two players who’ve played every minute and five who’ve started all six matches. For Chelsea to maximize this advantage, they need to play aggressively. As we saw against Real Madrid, if you let PSG keep the ball without pressure, they can take their time and dictate play. This is the opposite of what Chelsea wants, which is why they need to press aggressively. With their bench depth, they should feel free to do this as they won’t have to worry about exhausting players and seeing a drop in quality with their subs. Also, PSG will be without two defenders due to suspension, leaving them with the other four defenders who’ve played in the tournament.
The other major advantage Chelsea could use is their height. Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández are both taller than Vitinha and João Neves, who are PSG’s main ball-winners. Chelsea’s strikers are all taller than PSG’s Lucas Beraldo and Marquinhos, and PSG typically don’t play with a traditional striker who can win headers. Set pieces could be an avenue for Chelsea to take advantage of their height advantage. Chelsea scored three times in the Premier League off set pieces.
If I haven’t made this clear already, Chelsea are underdogs against PSG. It shouldn’t be this way; Chelsea has a great squad and has been solid throughout the tournament. They won the Conference League and qualified for the Champions League. PSG are just that good. It is hard for me to see Chelsea outclassing PSG and dominating the game, but it can happen. The world’s game is littered with so much randomness that anything could happen. Even though the Blues aren’t favored, they certainly can win on Sunday.
