The Chelsea campaign on the World Cup 2025 campaign is no longer a curiosity, but a genuine pursuit of the trophy – what are their chances of becoming crowned world champions, what would it mean for the ambitions of Enzo Maresca, and does the club make the right signing sessions?
Four games in the club World Cup, and it seems that the blues have found both form and focus.
Because Palmeiras is now blocking their route to the semi -final, the question is less whether Chelsea takes the competition seriously – that is already clear – and more whether they can go completely.
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Last English side
Statistic and stylistic is Chelsea – the only English side that remains after the surprise exit of Manchester City by Al Hilal – to the strongest teams that are left.
They scored 10 goals on four games and have found the net through eight different scorers, while they have admitted three of their total four goals in their only defeat.
Their journey started with a routine 2-0 win over Lafc, when Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez just found it for a scarce 22.137 crowd – a curious low figure for what is sold as a worldwide spectacle.
Maresca described it as “a bit strange”, whereby the lukewarm atmosphere of the opener was recorded and suggested that it played a major role at their pace of the exhibition match.
That was followed by a sobering 3-1 defeat against Flamengo. After Neto Chelsea had given an early lead, the often frustrating reckless red card from Nicolas Jackson changed the match only a few moments after the Brazilian side had drawn the level of Bruno Henrique after the break.
Flamengo took advantage of the goals from Danilo and Wallace Yan, where the disorganization and overcommitation of Chelsea was exploited and perhaps the London side reminds of their weaknesses, whether it is mental or tactical.
However, since then they have returned with balance. Chelsea sent Esperance Tunis 3-0, where Tosin Adarabioyo, Liam Delap and younger Tyrique George scored.
The round of 16 then brought a lightning device, extra time and completely impressive triumph against Benfica, although Maresca did not make words about the disturbances.
“It's a joke … it's not football,” he said about the repeated delays. He wondered if the United States “were the right place to do this competition”, with the emphasis on the poor planning and swell that the tournament has chased.
Against the Portuguese giants, a fit-again Reece James opened the score after the restart, and Chelsea rose in the extra period with Christopher Nunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who sealed a 4-1 victory.
In fact, the victory over Benfica was the 14th time in all matches that they scored four or more goals in a match under Maresca; Most of each Premier League team since the first game of the Italian to have the management.
Nevertheless, the attacking intention of Chelsea is further enhanced by action. The club has made two signs in the middle of the tournament: £ 30 million for Liam Delap from Ipswich and £ 60 million for Joao Pedro from Brighton.
The Maresca-a liquid system 3-2-4-1 has high in possession of football produced with printers, roaming full-backs and wide overloads, and they have seamlessly shifted between the starters of last season and new signing sessions.
Transfer delight
While most clubs concentrated on stability of Pitch-Matters, Chelsea has been busy in the market and apparently strengthened.
Delap has already delivered and looks like a potentially smart signature. In his first four performances, he scored and helped, which shows sharp movement and an eagerness to lead the line.
Maresca, familiar with the mocker City's youth set -up, said after his impressive debut performance of the bank: “You arrive, you work hard, you work more than the other number nine, and you will be the first choice.”
The message is unambiguous – Delap is not a prospect, he is a leading candidate.
In the meantime, Joao Pedro is bringing the right Premier League trolley.
A signing of £ 60 million with 30 goals and 10 assists in 70 performances for Brighton, he is versatile and composed, features that are ideal for knockout football.
Registered and ready to go, it is fully available for the upcoming Palmeiras collision and will be happy to hit the ground in the United States, just as Delap has.
Suspected and overwhelming with Jackson last season, the decision about Chelsea's next lead striker seems to have reduced.
Delap has the early benefit – a goal, an assist and natural tactical cohesion – but Pedro is the biggest striker of the club since Diego Costa. All eyes will be on him to see if he can create as much immediate impact as the young Englishman.
However, the Ministry of Defense still looks a bit thin on the floor, with many fans who question about prioritizing attacking signing sessions above the much needed depth at the back and between the sticks.
However, it is difficult to deny that genuine improvements are being made, while they are remarkably good on paper in midfield, and no doubt many of last year's attackers will not survive at the end of the summer window.
With the future of the will of Jackson, Nunku, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke apparently in the air, the line leader for grabbing the beginning of the following season is in better shape than the previous campaign.
What would it mean to win the Club World Cup?
For a club whose recent identity is confused by management turning, bloated editions and inconsistent competition results, the Club World Cup offers something that Chelsea desperately needs: clarity.
The winning would mean silverware, worldwide profile and a welcome validation for the early term of office of Maresca.
A Maresca system built on tactical nuance and young people would be transformed from experimental to more to the elite in considering the talents that are already at the club.
Perhaps the most crucial would give credibility to the project that is underway at Stamford Bridge and the West -London side to set up as further challengers in the Premier League next season.
There are still many large battles people in the competition, in which eternal winners Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are both seduced by many, while it would not even be wise for Maresca to look past Palmeiras.
Win probability opta by Statistics Perform
Tournament -football, however, is about growing in and not peak too quickly.
It seems that Chelsea is only about finding their feet, while others are left behind, with top players such as Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez that hits form and excitement grows around their current transfer trade.
Chelsea's mid-tournament signing sessions, full-Thottle versions in extreme conditions and the no-nonsense management tone make a clear explanation: they are here to win.
They are not favorites, but Chelsea remains a very dark horse in the CWC race.
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