Maresca's tactical philosophy is finally beginning to reap rewards at Chelsea - but a mammoth test lies in wait in the Club World Cup final
Tournament football can be cruel. It can also act as the making of managers. Enzo Maresca, like Thomas Tuchel before him, will be hoping the latter rings true as his side close in on their date with destiny.
Chelsea have clawed their way to within 90 minutes of becoming, by definition, world champions. Barring a six-minute blip against Flamengo, sparking a loss which actually proved incredibly beneficial for the Blues' wider campaign, they have bossed the inaugural Club World Cup to set up a final showdown with the imperious Paris Saint-Germain. Maresca's tactical philosophy is slowly beginning to take shape in a way fans can get behind. Suddenly, "Maresca ball" doesn't feel like such a chore to watch.
The common complaint throughout a domestic season that ended with Chelsea scraping Champions League football, pipping the high-flying Nottingham Forest to the post, was that Maresca's system was far too rigid, too predictable. The former Leicester boss does not opt for a conventional four-back when in possession and instead prefers to for one full-back to invert, while the other drifts inside to join the two centre-halves. The goal is to provide superiority in numbers as they push forward in this 3-2-5 system. But without fluidity, the wide players risk becoming isolated, as was seen on numerous occasions last term, especially against the low block.
This summer's acquisitions, including a couple made mid-tournament, have been sanctioned with an eye to make Chelsea more unpredictable. Liam Delap's arrival from Ipswich bows to the demand of a classic number nine, a true poacher. The purchases of Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens and Palmeiras' "Little Messi" Estevao - who scored against the Blues in their dramatic Club World Cup quarter-final tie - provide Maresca with two wingers that love to cut inside onto their stronger foot. But the first proper vindication of Chelsea's transfer strategy has come through the signing many questioned the £60m investment he warranted.
Joao Pedro, this versatile type of "second striker" who can play both in the nine and the 10, appeared to represent a tried and tested playstyle in Maresca's system that just doesn't seem to work. Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix have both struggled to make an impact with this profile, with both looking near-certain to be sold this summer. But after only one start, Joao Pedro looks to be exactly what Chelsea need.
He announced himself to the Blues with a sensational display at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, bagging a stunning brace to down his boyhood club Fluminense. A magnificent individual performance, he earned back more than a third of his transfer fee as Chelsea earned an extra £23.7m for progressing to the final. He played with conviction, unpredictability, and a refreshing willingness to put his foot through the ball. The latest Brighton addition to come good for Chelsea, following the likes of Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella, his arrival could spark a coming of age for Maresca's ideology.
With a full season under the Italian tactician in the books, the current crop of players appear to be getting it - something which allows the new tailored additions like Joao Pedro to adjust more seamlessly into the system. And after lifting the Conference League to relatively little fanfare, becoming the first team to win the revamped Club World Cup might just be an accolade worth shouting about, in spite of the widespread apathy previously expressed for "Copa Infantino" back home. Maybe this Maresca project has serious legs.
However, blocking Chelsea's path towards "world's best" status is the best football team in the world.
PSG feel unbeatable. Detoxified by Luis Enrique to form one of the most relentless, cohesive units known to modern football, they were rightfully heavy favourites going into the tournament off the back of their record-breaking Champions League final victory against Inter Milan. Some may have expected them to take their foot off the gas, seeing the tournament as secondary in stature to the trophy - their holy grail - they just lifted. That was not the case.
Other than in their 1-0 loss to Botafogo - no doubt the shock of the tournament, even if its ramifications hurt Atletico Madrid more than it did the Parisians - PSG have not conceded a goal all tournament. They made haste at dealing eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and former focal point Lionel Messi, 38, a harsh reality check, detailing just how far the club has come since his frosty Parc des Princes exit by routing Inter Miami. Bayern Munich were next to fall, avenging heartbreak from the 2020 Champions League final that saw their main men, their brands, go missing when it mattered. The likes of Desire Doue and the reincarnated Ousmane Dembele have felt immune to such a phenomenon this season.
But it was in the semi-finals, at the same stadium where a champion will be crowned on Sunday, where PSG made one of their biggest statements since this super-team's inception. The 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid, the footballing superpower equivalent to the United States, showed once and for all that this PSG side are currently untouchable at their best. In the sweltering heat that's grabbed so many headlines, Xabi Alonso's side were sent to hell, the Parisians somehow unaffected to the conditions as they pressed, and they pressed, and they pressed until their opponents broke. It was terrifying to watch, a giant of Real Madrid's size bullied into oblivion.
Chelsea will fear that they're next on the hit list. Maresca's side, while edging closer week by week, are not close to the finished article. The Italian can still only dream of a transformation success story akin to Enrique's.
The cliches of tournament football will be the backbone of Chelsea's mentality heading into this. "A final is a final," left-back Cucurella insists. "It's still a game, it can all happen," full-back partner Malo Gusto adds. Both await the grueling challenges of Doue and Kvaratskhelia down the wings. The "anything can happen" aspect of the game is motivation in this circumstance.
If PSG turn up, however, it's no exaggeration to say Chelsea will need a miracle avoid the same traumatic fate as Real and Inter before them. An emphatic destruction could lead to recent progress under Maresca being undone, a drop in morale going into the new season. A shock victory could equally propel them to greater things.
Simply, they'll need to champion unpredictability to do the unthinkable.
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