 |
Enzo Maresca, like Thomas Tuchel once did at Chelsea, is facing his own defining moment. |
Enzo Maresca, like Thomas Tuchel did at Chelsea, is facing his own moment of destiny. In 90 minutes at MetLife Stadium, “The Blues” will have the chance to become world champions - a title that was once far away for this team in the process of rebuilding.
More important than the trophy, however, is the aftermath: this could be a major turning point in Maresca's journey to shape and affirm its football philosophy - a system that has been criticised for being rigid and too theoretical.
“Maresca-ball”
Throughout the 2024/25 season, Maresca’s Chelsea were criticised for playing like “emotionless machines”. The 3-2-5 tactic with full-backs tucked into the middle of the pitch used to isolate attackers, especially against teams that defended deep.
The tactical complexity without the effectiveness has made many people doubt whether Maresca is really suitable for a big team like Chelsea. However, entering the Club World Cup, “Maresca-ball” is taking a clearer shape - not only in theory but also in the emotions of the audience. Chelsea is playing football with lines, with initiative, and most importantly: with identity.
A big part of the turnaround has come from smart additions in the summer transfer window - both before and during the tournament. Liam Delap, for example, brings a classic centre-forward look.
However, the biggest surprise came from a name that was once doubted: Joao Pedro. With a price tag of £60 million, many people considered him the next failed copy of Nkunku or Joao Felix. But Pedro only needed one match to prove otherwise.
 |
Throughout the 2024/25 season, Maresca's Chelsea were criticised for playing like "emotionless machines". |
Against Fluminense - the team he loved as a child - Joao Pedro exploded with a stunning double. He not only scored but also inspired, playing free, instinctive football that remained within the tactical framework. Pedro is the clearest example of how, when the links begin to understand the system, Maresca-ball is no longer a lecture on the canvas, but a concert on the pitch.
Chelsea’s small successes now face their biggest challenge yet: Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain, a team at the height of its power. This is no longer the PSG of old, a team full of stars but lacking cohesion. Enrique has transformed them into a unified, fierce and unpredictable unit.
Since winning the Champions League with a convincing win over Inter, PSG have not been playing it safe at the Club World Cup. They crushed Messi's Inter Miami, took revenge on Bayern Munich, and then demolished Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals - a performance that is considered one of the most dominant performances against a giant in modern football history.
Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Kvaratskhelia were playing as if they were tired. They were pressing all over the pitch, playing with an intensity that would have burned Real Madrid in the New Jersey heat.
Chelsea - big dreams, and nameless fears
Chelsea go into the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, which kicks off at 2am on 14 July, confident that “anything is possible in football”. Cucurella said: “A final is a final. Anything can happen”. Malo Gusto added: “It’s just a game, you can’t predict anything”.
 |
Chelsea went into the final believing that “in football, anything is possible”. |
But deep down inside them - and Maresca - there is surely fear. PSG are unlike any opponent they have ever faced. A crushing defeat could dampen Chelsea's spirits ahead of the new season. It could wipe out any progress they have made.
But if they win? If Chelsea do the unexpected? It will be a moment that changes everything – a historic turning point for the Maresca project, and perhaps even for the club itself.
Enzo Maresca doesn't need a perfect performance, he needs a defining moment. The Club World Cup final will be the biggest test of his philosophy - is it just a textbook model or has it become a real tool of conquest?
To beat PSG, Chelsea will need more than tactics – they will need character, inspiration and a little bit of surprise. And if Maresca can do that, he will no longer be known as a “tactical teacher” – he will be remembered as the man who created a new, powerful and unpredictable Chelsea.
Source: https://znews.vn/chelsea-doi-mat-buoc-ngoat-dinh-menh-post1568271.html
Comment (0)