Chelsea FC faced long odds against Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ final, and despite a defiant Reece James predicting victory, the Blues were always going to need more than bold words to be crowned world champions.
Luckily for Chelsea, head coach Enzo Maresca devised a blueprint to beat the UEFA Champions League holders, and his young but talented side executed it to perfection in their 3-0 victory at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey.
Of course, a resurgent Cole Palmer was always going to be a crucial factor, but here’s a closer look at three other components of Maresca’s game plan that allowed the Blues to lift the trophy.
Chelsea neutralised PSG’s lethal forwards
It took organization and concentration for Chelsea to stare down and disarm arguably the best attack in club football, and the Blues banded together to summon the necessary qualities to stymie PSG’s attack.
Chelsea used an aggressive counter-press when they lost possession high and dropped into a back five when PSG came forward. The Blues never let Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia breathe, and they blunted the force of the opposition attack by defending in numbers to close space and decrease the Parisians’ usual lightning pace out wide.
Doue and Kvaratskhelia didn’t have the regular runway they typically enjoy to apply pressure in the final third. Also, right-back Achraf Hakimi and left-back Nuno Mendes never came close to having the same influential presence that made them dangerous wide threats throughout the tournament.
“The idea was to go man-to-man because if you leave spaces to PSG, they will kill you,” Maresca said. “So we tried to be very aggressive and suffocate them early on.”
Neto represented the selfless commitment to make Maresca’s tactics work by dropping into a wing-back role on the left, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was immense by making some difficult saves. Most of all, though, a visibly frustrated PSG helped the Londoners by running directly into the wall of Blue shirts.
With about 25 minutes left, Doue attempted to dribble through three defenders and managed to draw a foul and earn a free-kick, but the stop-and-start sequence encapsulated the Parisians’ lack of answers against a Chelsea side shrewdly set up to defuse the most explosive attack at the Club World Cup.
Caicedo and James pressed mute on PSG midfield
Maresca said Chelsea won the match in the first 10 minutes with their intense tempo. Without question, their ability to take away the ball, keep it and actually look comfortable in possession against PSG’s press was a stunning development right from the start.
Just as crucial was the Blues midfield’s ability to prevent PSG from mounting waves of pressure like they had managed in 4-0 blowouts of Atlético de Madrid, Inter Miami CF and Real Madrid C. F.
While Doue had early moments of looking dangerous (namely an 18th-minute shot from the top of the box that was kept out by Sanchez’s strong left hand) and Chelsea’s press was vulnerable on the left flank, the Blues were able to establish their dominance in midfield, where Moises Caicedo and Reece James imposed their will with physical play.
Maresca wisely deployed James, the team captain and usual first-choice right back, in the middle of the pitch to form a partnership with Caicedo that proved to be too much of an obstacle for PSG to navigate. The duo stood firm behind the pressing of Enzo Fernandez and made life uncomfortable for Vitinha, the Parisians’ passing maestro who chose to pass sideways whenever Caicedo was looming nearby.
Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves also never got comfortable, and Neves showed just how flustered he felt when he pulled Marc Cucurella’s hair to get sent off in the 85th minute. The lack of probing balls by Vitinha to initiate the attack really sapped PSG’s attacking strength, and that all began with Caicedo and James not allowing free passage through the middle third.
Blues played long to bypass PSG press
With the midfield muddled and space compressed by high lines, the team that could best take advantage of balls over the top would have a decided advantage. Chelsea hit pay dirt with two long balls to score two early goals and take control of the final.
Both Caicedo and Sanchez signalled the Blues’ attacking intent early on with long balls over the PSG press. Chelsea scored in the 22nd minute after Sanchez floated a ball down the right wing to Malo Gusto, who capitalised on a stumble by Mendes to run free into the PSG area and set up Palmer for a cooly taken slotted finish for a 1-0 Blues lead.
Levi Colwill’s looping long ball down the right side led to Chelsea’s second goal. The centre-back perfectly placed his right-footed chip in front of a sprinting Palmer, who continued his run into the box and froze Vitinha and centre-back Lucas Beraldo with a series of quick shot fakes before beating goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma again for a 2-0 advantage in the 30th minute.
The Blues’ defending served as the foundation for a memorable triumph in the New Jersey Meadowlands, but well-timed runs to get behind the PSG defence allowed Chelsea to make Luis Enrique’s side pay dearly in the matchup of duelling presses and high lines. They are a fitting world champion for having out-played the team that was largely regarded as the best club side on the planet.
