Chelsea Are World Champions, The Recipe for Taming PSG Revealed

NEW YORK, SUNDAY — PSG coach Luis Enrique stated that before the final of the 2025 Club World Cup, their dominance would eventually come to an end on one bad day. Shortly thereafter, that worst day arrived. Chelsea, through the brilliant tactics of coach Enzo Maresca and the "coolness" of midfielder Cole Palmer, brought PSG back down to earth.

Enrique appeared wise with that statement. However, the coach seemed to still be shocked by the 0-3 defeat to Chelsea in the final match at MetLife Stadium, New York, on Monday (14/7/2025 WIB). He even lost control after the final whistle, engaging in an argument and pushing the face of Chelsea player Joao Pedro.

It's understandable that Enrique was shocked after missing out on the quintuple, or five titles, achievement. The result was somewhat absurd. Chelsea, champions of the Europa Conference League, the third-tier tournament, successfully mocked the Champions League champions. Maresca's team found the formula PSG's opponents had been searching for.

Throughout 2025, PSG demonstrated absolute dominance by defeating nearly all of the best teams in the world. This includes Liverpool, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. All of this was accomplished in the last six months in the Champions League and the World Cup. It is only natural that they are heavily favored against Chelsea.

Chelsea arrived with a brilliant idea from Maresca. Palmer became the main executor on the field with a contribution of 2 goals and 1 assist. The player nicknamed "Cold Palmer" was still too "cold" amidst the scorching heat reaching 30 degrees Celsius. "It feels great, even better because we defeated a great team that was heavily favored," said Palmer.

Do not imagine PSG winning 5-0 against Inter in the Champions League final earlier this June. Vitinha and his teammates were nowhere near that performance. They were already trailing 0-3 at halftime. Chelsea truly managed to neutralize all of the opponent's weapons, from offensive to defensive strategies.

Maresca stated that Chelsea's victory was evident from the first ten minutes when the score was still 0-0. "There are no words that can represent the extraordinary performance of the children. They deserve it. We managed to set the tempo in the first ten minutes, demonstrating the players' better condition. That early moment was the key," he said.

Maresca is not exaggerating. Chelsea was indeed able to silence PSG from the start of the match. From a sample of ten minutes, Maresca's tactics appeared far superior to those of Enrique. PSG was never able to generate an attack. Palmer and his teammates also played more aggressively, unlike the PSG squad that seemed lethargic, as if stung by the sun.

Three goal schemes from Chelsea are sufficient to illustrate Maresca's plan. All the goals came from counter-attack transitions on the right side. "The Blues" exploited the position of PSG's wing-back Nuno Mendes, who often advanced far forward. Vitinha frequently filled the gaps on the wing but became the primary target of Chelsea's players' attacks.

The issues faced by PSG were compounded by the absence of defender Willian Pacho, who was serving a red card suspension. The 21-year-old defender Lucas Beraldo replaced him. Chelsea increasingly found comfort in exploiting the opponent's left side. Beraldo repeatedly misjudged situations, including during the buildup of a pair of goals by Palmer and the final goal by Joao Pedro.

"The coach is formulating a great game strategy. He (Maresca) knows where the empty spaces are and tries to free me as much as possible. I just need to repay him by scoring some goals. He is building something special. I feel we are heading in the right direction," said Palmer.

Chelsea, with a ball possession record of 58.1 percent throughout the tournament, has lowered their ego. They are reluctant to build attacks from the back. This could be targeted by the high pressing of PSG, which is known to be lethal. They also opted to send the ball long more frequently, as reflected in their possession rate of only 33.6 percent.

The art of survival

Legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. remained undefeated until his retirement due to his lethal counterattacks. Interestingly, these counterattacks would not have been possible without a strong defense in the first place. A similar concept was employed by Chelsea in the recent match. The solid defense of "The Blues" was the key to their victory.

Maresca set two traps at once, in the opponent's half during a high block and in his own half during a low block. They used very different approaches. When pressing high, Chelsea used a man-to-man approach. This tactic was used by Bayern, the only team to trouble PSG before the final.

Chelsea's starting lineup is quite intriguing. Wing-back Reece James has been positioned as a defensive midfielder. This is part of the coach's plan. James has been assigned to mark Vitinha during high pressing. As is known, Vitinha is the main conductor of the attack for Enrique's team. This strategy has hindered PSG's attacks from the back.

Another scheme was employed when Chelsea was in a low block. The initial 4-4-2 defensive formation transformed into a 5-4-1. An additional player alternated to assist the four aligned defenders, one of whom was winger Pedro Neto. The five defenders were not overly reactive. They anticipated the dangerous off-the-ball movements from wing-back Achraf Hakimi as well as midfielder Fabian Ruiz.

The PSG squad appeared very frustrated. They dominated ball possession but only managed to produce eight shots. Chelsea had more with ten shots. The best opportunity for PSG came in the second half through a shot by Ousmane Dembele in the penalty area. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who performed well, thwarted that attempt.

PSG's frustration was evident in midfielder Joao Neves' unsportsmanlike behavior. He pulled Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella's hair late in the match. Neves was shown a red card, and PSG finished the match with ten men. Chelsea were truly capable of being PSG's kyrptonite in the final.

PSG captain Marquinhos said the bitter defeat wouldn't change anything. They remain one of the best teams in the world and could be even stronger next season. "Of course we want the trophy, but (even without it) nothing can erase what we've done this season. We've never been at this point (achieving the quadruple) before," he said.

As a result, Chelsea has emerged as the first world champion under the new tournament format. They will hold the title of world champions for the next four years or until the next edition is held. This achievement also serves as a significant asset for Maresca's team for the upcoming season. (AP/AFP)