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Chelsea’s journey in the Club World Cup hit a snag Friday night as Enzo Maresca’s squad suffered an unexpected 3-1 loss to Flamengo.
Though the Brazilian team is formidable, Chelsea, a Premier League giant, was expected to secure their place in the knockout rounds. They seemed poised to do just that when Pedro Neto scored his second goal of the tournament early in the match.
But things went south, with Bruno Henrique, Danilo and Wallace Yan netting to ensure it was Flamengo who instead qualified.
Now, the Blues’ fate hinges on their last group stage match against ES Tunis on Wednesday. A failure to win could mean an early flight back from the United States.
Mail Sport’s KIERAN GILL was at the Lincoln Financial Field to jot down five things we learned from the game.
Enzo Maresca saw his side fall to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Flamengo in the Club World Cup
He used the game to experiment, with Cole Palmer playing on the right wing as opposed to in the middle
Malo Gusto was used as a traditional full back, with Reece James in midfield alongside Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez
Maresca shakes things up
Enzo Maresca made a point of making sure we all knew that he had experimented with his tactical set-up in this 3-1 loss in Philadelphia.
Namely, we saw him use Malo Gusto as a traditional full back when, normally, that is not Maresca’s style. Reece James was also in midfield as well as Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, while Cole Palmer was on the right wing, Pedro Neto on the left, and Liam Delap up top.
Maresca made it sound as if he is trying to find new solutions ahead of next season – maybe he wants to starts using Palmer on the right-hand side more than he has been, who knows – and the Blues boss suggested the experiment worked for an hour-ish.
I’m not so sure on that, given Gusto was caught out of his right back position so often that it gave us flashbacks to the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Poland, when he was hooked at half-time for playing as poorly. Flamengo exploited Chelsea in the space he was leaving open.
Still, nothing wrong with the odd experiment, and the Club World Cup is the place to do that because Chelsea’s involvement in this competition strips them of their usual pre-season prep.
Goalkeeping problems continue
Nicolas Jackson made sure the post-match chatter was all about him, and maybe Robert Sanchez should be secretly grateful for his striker’s moment of madness.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper did not have the greatest game as even within the opening three minutes, he made two mistakes while trying to pass out from the back. Both led to Flamengo chances to score.
Sanchez still does not instil confidence. He is a goalkeeper who is not fond of playing passes, and Maresca is a manager who demands his goalkeeper plays passes. Not ideal, that.
With each appearance, it makes you wonder if Chelsea will go back in for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan, despite sources saying they wanted to sign a goalkeeper before the Club World Cup if at all. There’s nothing like some hearts in mouths to make you rethink the situation.
Chelsea’s goalkeeping problems continued with Robert Sanchez still not looking comfortable playing out from the back
Nicolas Jackson, meanwhile, continues to self-destruct but promised to make things right
Chelsea are still linked with being in the hunt for other versatile centre forwards this summer
Jackson’s self-destruction
You imagine it has not been the easiest summer for Jackson – the way he was seeing his club linked with this striker and that. They sign Delap for £30million, but they are still linked with being in the hunt for other versatile centre forwards. Sources are not playing down those names either.
Jackson is under pressure, therefore, and this latest act of self-destruction was not the greatest way to endear himself to Chelsea or their fans.
He is now suspended in the Club World Cup, after missing the end of their Premier League season. Jackson’s team-mates insisted in the mixed zone that he will make amends, but then we have heard that before.
Brazil flying high
Brazilian sides are unbeaten at the Club World Cup.
Palmeiras, Botafogo, Fluminense and Flamengo have not lost a single game.
But then there are a few reasons for that, perhaps. Flamengo, for example, have played only 11 games in their domestic season whereas this match represented Chelsea’s 59th of 2024-25.
The Brazilians are used to playing in 30-odd degrees whereas Chelsea are not.
This tournament seems to mean more to the South Americans whereas the Europeans, I think it is fair to say, are considering it more of an inconvenience for where it falls in their calendar.
So maybe there are some reasons why, but then at the end of the day, it is 11 versus 11, and Flamengo deserved to win that match over Chelsea once all was said and done.
All four Brazilian sides – who are taking this competition seriously – are still unbeaten
Andrey Santos is yet to see a minute despite Maresca insisting that his chance will arrive
Santos let down
Chelsea put up Andrey Santos for the media the day before the Flamengo game in Philadelphia. He spoke of the possibility of making his debut and what facing this Brazilian side in particular – the rivals of Vasco da Gama, whose academy he came through – would mean to him.
It was rather heartwarming, but then he did not get any minutes. That’s two games now in the United States without an appearance from Santos, and you have to wonder if Chelsea are hoping he will take the hint.
He is a confident lad, Santos, and still only 21. He enjoyed an excellent loan to Strasbourg last term and now the Brazilian wants to fight for his place in the Blues’ first team.
But still, the wait for a competitive debut is continuing. Maresca has promised his chance is coming, but then it is hard not to think that rival suitors will be tracking his situation closely.
