The stunning victory of Chelsea over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the FIFA Club World Cup (FCWC) final in the USA came to many as a rude shock. Although it was a clash of two of the most formidable clubs in the world, one was highly favoured against the other. Almost every football fan concluded that PSG were going to emerge victorious. Even some Chelsea’s die-hard fans had to tread cautiously with their prediction.
Of course, those who favoured PSG over the Blues of London were correct to a very reasonable extent. However, they were right and wrong due to some reasons. They were right to award victory to PSG even before the kick of the ball because they hinged their confidence on their favourite team’s recent exploits in European football. In this year’s UEFA Champions League, PSG crushed four top English clubs – Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal before walloping Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. So, PSG were coming into the final as conquerors of English clubs and continental champions.
Apart from that, even in the FCWC (FIFA Club World Cup), many averred that their route to the final was more difficult than that of Chelsea. They had outclassed European heavyweights, Bayern Munich in the quarter-final and Europe’s most successful club, Real Madrid in the semis to set up the final clash with Chelsea.
Besides, they felt that Enzo Maresca, who is having his first experience as a coach at a big club would be outfoxed by the more experienced, Luis Enrique, who had won titles with Barcelona and managed the senior national team of Spain. Therefore, in the mind of those who believed that victory would emanate from the dug-out, PSG with the savvier tactician were highly favoured.
However, fans of the Parisians goofed by undermining Chelsea’s impressive records in past finals. They forgot that whenever the Blues managed to reach the final of any competition, it was usually difficult for them to lose. It is on record that even playing against opponents that were riding the crest at that moment, they triumphed.
When Chelsea won their first UEFA Champions League trophy in 2012, right there in Munich, Bayern Munichen were the most formidable club in Europe. The intimidating crowd at the Allianz Arena didn’t stop the Blues. Manchester City were at their peak in 2021 under Pep Guardiola, but Chelsea defeated them 1-0 for their second Champions League title. These were some of the facts about Chelsea that supporters of PSG refused to remember.
In fact, those who underestimated the chances of Chelsea actually forgot that the Blues were at the FCWC in the USA as former winners of the Club World Cup. Still, many thought that because Chelsea’s road to the final wasn’t as tricky as the one taken by PSG, they stood no chance against the Parisians. Indeed, it was a serious mistake to imagine that top Brazilian clubs, Flamengo and Fluminense, which paraded some of the best players in Brazil and Europe didn’t pose any threat to Chelsea’s ambition. They were even oblivious of the fact that the Blues had to dig deep to overcome these two Brazilian clubs. It wasn’t a cakewalk for the Maresca boys.
In any case, before the final showdown, most football pundits concluded that the Parisians were going to emerge as winners. As a matter of fact, some didn’t only award victory to PSG, they went further to announce that Chelsea were going to get a double portion of the bitter pill that was tucked down the throat of Real Madrid. Thus, a joke surfaced on the social media about an imaginary argument between Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue over who should score the eighth goal. It was no longer if PSG was going to beat Chelsea, it was about how many goals the Blues would concede.
That was the extent of support that PSG enjoyed going into the final. However, on the D-Day, it didn’t take more than 45 minutes of the 90 for Chelsea, who were erroneously tagged as the underdogs to bring the high-flying Parisians down to the earth, leaving useful lessons for all to learn and make more informed forecasts in future.
After a quick brace by ‘cold’ Cole Palmer and a goal by new arrival Joao Pedro, Chelsea used the remaining 45 minutes to play around with PSG, the same way the Parisians had toyed with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid en route to the final.
It should be noted that Chelsea successfully humbled their well-endowed opponents because they were better prepared, mentally and psychologically. From the blast of the first whistle, the Blues went straight into the business of the day. Playing based on well-planned tactics, they pressed Le Parisiens, making it impossible for them to get into their well-known rhythm.
Chelsea tactically hijacked the midfield from their opponents by deploying the workaholic Moises Caicedo captain, Reece James and Enzo Fernandez to neutralise PSG’s playmakers – Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, and Joao Neves. As soon as Chelsea took control of the midfield, PSG were forced to chase after the ball, which was never an easy task to handle under the scorching sun that continued to bear down on the Metlife Stadium.
Well, many tagged them as the underdogs in the contests, but Chelsea weren’t perturbed because they know their history and what they are capable of doing on the biggest stage of football. Therefore, they didn’t allow other people’s opinions to define who they truly are. They went into the final against PSG with the mindset of former European and world champions. Chelsea needed nobody to remind them that unlike their opponents, they had won every cup in European football. So, they were motivated by their past to take the fight to their opponents.
Well, no one can dispute the fact that PSG are among the best clubs in the world. However, against Chelsea, they took many things for granted and paid dearly. Having been deceived by the predictions that preceded the final, they approached their opponents with an air of superiority. PSG are usually the first to spring out of the blocks, but against Chelsea they started so casually believing they would take control of the match as it progressed. Unfortunately, their opponents sustained the pressure, and before the Parisians would know what was going on, they were down by three goals. The highly-anticipated contest was effectively over in 45 minutes.
Inarguably, Chelsea’s well-deserved victory has shown once again that a football match is won only after the regulation time. Victory is not attained on assumption. Of course, in every contest, one out of the two opponents may hold the upper hand. However, there is usually provision for an upset. Therefore, rather than draw conclusions even before the kick of the ball, it is better to exercise cautious optimism while waiting for the final whistle.
Another lesson from the CWC final is that pride goes before a fall. Even when you are the favoured one, don’t ever “loose guard.” Remember, it was the same mistake that ended the life of the Philistine’s warlord Goliath when he battled the little-known David. PSG became over confident and complacent when they were about to emerge as the best football club in the world. In the end, they learnt humility the hard way.
