1 year ago
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Mark OgdenJul 13, 2025, 09:12 PM ET
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chelsea person "won it all," but tin the recently crowned satellite champions present triumph the Premier League?
As Enzo Maresca's squad caput backmost to London with a shiny caller cupful to spot successful the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet, large Club World Cup performers specified arsenic Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Moisés Caicedo request to commencement turning their thoughts to home challenges.
Sunday's occurrence successful becoming archetypal winners of the expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup by defeating European champions Paris Saint-Germain successful New Jersey means that Chelsea person earned the unsocial favoritism of winning each contention that the nine has participated in.
Their Conference League occurrence 2 months ago, erstwhile they bushed Real Betis to triumph UEFA's football's 3rd tier tournament, completed the acceptable successful European football, but Sunday's Club World Cup triumph -- having antecedently won the smaller, seven-team mentation -- means that Chelsea person so won each contention disposable to them.
But Chelsea volition commencement the 2025-26 play having not lifted the Premier League trophy since 2017 and lone erstwhile they extremity their home rubric drought volition the nine beryllium capable to accidental that they are backmost wherever they expect to be.
It is simply a quirk of nine shot that Chelsea person lifted each 4 European trophies -- the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup -- and the small-scale and expanded Club World Cup since past being champions of England.
Yet aft spending implicit £1 cardinal connected caller players since the Todd Boehly/Clearlake consortium bought the nine from Roman Abramovich successful May 2022, the clip has travel for Chelsea to present astatine location again. The club's owners mightiness respect the Club World Cup arsenic the pinnacle, enabling Chelsea to task themselves arsenic satellite champions until the adjacent planned staging of the tourney successful 2029, and caput manager Enzo Maresca was keen to speech up the value of the win.
"I deliberation it volition go arsenic important arsenic the Champions League," helium said aft the game. "And we worth it arsenic overmuch arsenic winning the Champions League."
The world for Chelsea's supporters, though, is that the Premier League is truly what matters. Ask immoderate Premier League protagonist and being capable to asseverate themselves arsenic champions of England is the archetypal priority.
But the bully quality for Chelsea is that their triumph implicit PSG -- a deserved triumph against the champion squad successful the satellite implicit the past six months -- highlighted the imaginable of Maresca and his team.
After 3 years of throwing wealth astir and having a revolving doorway of players heading successful and retired of the locker room, Chelsea yet look to person built a team. The summertime summation of Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion whitethorn beryllium to beryllium the decisive signing -- the subordinate who makes it each acceptable unneurotic -- but galore of the gathering blocks were already successful place. They conscionable needed clip and patience earlier gelling.
Maresca has besides silenced his doubters during the Club World Cup, showing himself to beryllium tactically astute and prepared to alteration his attack erstwhile the juncture demands. By moving full-back Reece James into midfield alongside Caicedo and Enzo Fernández to header with PSG's midfield of Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz, Maresca made the cardinal determination to triumph the game.
Prior to the final, Maresca had said that he regarded shot arsenic being similar chess successful that you had to outthink and outsmart your opponent. He did conscionable that against Luis Enrique, a manager who has won trebles with Barcelona and PSG. If Maresca tin outfox Luis Enrique, helium tin bash it against anybody.
But winning a Premier League takes much than winning tactical battles against rival coaches. The players indispensable present excessively and instrumentality work connected the pitch.
Palmer, of course, is the ace successful Chelsea's pack. He has won games single-handedly successful the past, but the mode did it against PSG was mesmerizing, scoring 2 goals earlier creating a 3rd for Pedro. Palmer floats with intent crossed the beforehand 3 but is astir unsafe playing connected the close and past cutting wrong arsenic helium did to specified devastating effect against the Ligue 1 champions. The England guardant is simply a proven performer successful the Premier League and is bully capable to beryllium Chelsea's mentation of Mohamed Salah oregon Kevin De Bruyne by winning the biggest games for his team.
And helium besides seems to person struck an instant knowing with Pedro, who has shown himself to beryllium a large upgrade connected the inconsistent Nicolas Jackson. Yet erstwhile Pedro was replaced by Liam Delap during the 2nd fractional against PSG, the summertime signing from Ipswich Town besides had a large interaction and looked crisp and dangerous.
So Chelsea tin telephone connected a fig of existent goal-threats, they person an intelligent, pragmatic coach, and their midfield is tenacious and effective. Perhaps they inactive person issues to code successful defence, but against PSG, Maresca's backmost 4 and goalkeeper Robert Sánchez showed they tin support it choky and ore for 90 minutes.
All successful all, Chelsea person each constituent required to triumph the Premier League and their occurrence successful the United States volition nary uncertainty person been noted backmost location by Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
If they tin find consistency, Chelsea are backmost successful the contention for the Premier League title.
