Chelsea have “won it all” and now, the newly crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions are setting their sights on the one prize that continues to elude them: the Premier League title.
A surprising 3-0 victory over European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night secured Chelsea the honour of becoming the first winners of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, and with it, the final piece in an unprecedented clean sweep of every major competition the club has entered.
But as Enzo Maresca’s team fly back to London with their latest silverware in tow, the focus now shifts back to domestic football and the question that looms large is: can Chelsea finally win the Premier League again?
“We Value It Like the Champions League” – Maresca on Chelsea Winning the CWC
Speaking after the final whistle, Maresca emphasised the significance of the victory and Chelsea’s place in football history.
“I think it will become as important as the Champions League, and we value it as much as winning the Champions League,” Maresca said.
Chelsea’s trophy cabinet now boasts every competition they’ve participated in:
- Premier League
- FA Cup
- League Cup
- Champions League
- Europa League
- Conference League
- UEFA Super Cup, and now
- the Club World Cup (both the old seven-team format and the new global edition).
Yet, the Premier League crown has eluded them since 2017, and for Chelsea supporters, that remains the true barometer of success.
Billion-Pound Rebuild, Real Chelsea Team Emerging
Since Todd Boehly and the Clearlake consortium took over in May 2022, Chelsea have spent over £1 billion in the transfer market. While many signings initially failed to click, Maresca now appears to have a team, not just a collection of talent.
The addition of João Pedro from Brighton this summer looks like a masterstroke as the forward fits seamlessly into the frontline and complements Cole Palmer, who continues to dazzle.
Palmer scored two sublime goals and assisted the third, a clean lob by Pedro, capping off a man-of-the-match performance against a PSG side widely regarded as the best in the world over the past year.
Maresca’s Tactical Masterclass
Much like chess, Maresca believes football is a game of strategy and his tactical reshuffle stunned even Luis Enrique, a Champions League-winning coach.
By shifting Reece James into midfield alongside Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández to counter PSG’s trio of Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz, Maresca seized control of the game.
“It’s about outthinking your opponent,” Maresca said in his pre-match comments.
“You can’t always beat them physically, but you can beat them tactically.”
That adjustment limited PSG’s creativity and gave Chelsea dominance in the middle of the park, exposing flaws in the French side’s build-up and allowing Chelsea’s front three to flourish.
Premier League Next?
With Palmer in world-class form, Pedro bedding in brilliantly, and the likes of Liam Delap showing promise off the bench, Chelsea now have the firepower to challenge at home.
Their midfield trio is combative and technically gifted, while the defence led by Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, and Robert Sánchez in goal, kept PSG’s attacking stars at bay for 90 minutes.
Still, as Maresca admitted, the real test begins now.
“We’re world champions today, but we know the Premier League is where we must prove ourselves every single week.”
“This is the standard, and we must meet it consistently,” he told reporters post-match.
Chelsea’s Major Honours (All-Time)
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Premier League (5)
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FA Cup (8)
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League Cup (5)
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UEFA Champions League (2)
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UEFA Europa League (2)
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UEFA Conference League (1)
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UEFA Super Cup (2)
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FIFA Club World Cup (2)
Chelsea return to England and will begin preparations for the 2025/26 Premier League season, which kicks off in mid-August. The target is end their eight-year wait for the league title.
Their Club World Cup heroics have sent a strong message to rivals Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City; Chelsea are back, and this time, they look like serious contenders.
If they can carry their American dominance back to the Premier League, the Stamford Bridge faithful may soon be celebrating something they haven’t seen since the days of Antonio Conte: a title-winning side at home.
