GOAL US looks at the key takeaways from both Chelsea's win over PSG in the final, as well as the Club World Cup overall
Finished.
The Club World Cup has, officially, come to an end. And it's been a bit of a whirlwind month. The football was pretty good, the teams were pretty interested (and interesting). The storylines were compelling. And while we probably didn't learn much about each individual side, it served as a fine barometer in which to position the clubs across the global soccer hierarchy, which is kind of the point at the end of the day.
The final itself made for good viewing. Everyone thought Chelsea were going to get destroyed. And then they simply decided to, well, not get destroyed. Instead, they ran out deserved winners, outthinking and outplaying the best team in world football. It was, in truth, the final slice of jeopardy the tournament needed to go from an interesting idea to something that will last.
GOAL US presents the Club World Cup XI, with key observations from the final and tournament overall.
Getty Images Sport1The final delivers
Well, that was a good watch in the end. There were expectations, leading up to the final, that it could be an absolute Parisian battering. Chelsea were distinctly alright in the Premier League. PSG had spent the whole season smashing everyone. Only one way this could go, right? Wrong. The Blues were brilliant, played some lovely football, and dug in when they needed to. It made for a deserved 3-0 win and wonderful spectacle, all said.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport2Cold Palmer is frigid
We mean this in a good way. Chelsea fans will tell you that Palmer has been among the best in the world for a while now. That's probably fair. But he simply took over against the Parisians and had a hand in all three goals. Every star player needs a big showing to make the world take notice. This was his.
AFP3Lucho gets out-tacticked
What do you do when the same formula that has won you a whole load of games stops working? It's an existential crisis of the highest order – even for top managers. And PSG's Luis Enrique didn't quite know what to do. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca came up with a clear plan, targeting PSG's left side and letting Palmer cook. It worked a charm, and the great Spainard's lasting takeaway was the fact that he decided to hit a Chelsea player at full time. Not great.
Getty Images Sport4Are Chelsea good now?
Uhhhh maybe? This was kinda everyone's question heading into the tournament. Could Chelsea do any damage, or are they just a pretty average Champions League team? Answer: damage was done. Does this mean they're good? Well, you can't be mediocre and beat PSG. Maybe that's all you need to know.
