Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign is over, ending in glorious success with a magnificent performance against PSG and a lifting of the trophy.
That doesn’t just mean another cup in the cabinet, a badge on the shirt and an injection of cash. It has changed the whole perception of the team that Enzo Maresca is bringing together, building on the good late run in the season which got us into the Champions League and won the Conference League.
Sportytrader’s soccer predictions are the best example of that – the Blues were something like 40/1 to win the Premier League before the tournament in the USA began, now they’ve plunged to 8/1 with some bookies. That just shows how convincing the performances were, especially in the final against the best team in Europe.
There are still plenty of doubts about whether we really can compete for the title however. Despite our great showings in one off games, there’s a lack of consistency which has haunted us for a couple of years, and is always what holds back good teams from taking the step to title contenders.
While the group have gained a huge amount of experience, they’re still very young and raw compared to the likes of Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal who remain favourites ahead of us. We’re also set to take a step back on that front, with the likes of Noni Madueke leaving to be replaced by the much more raw Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian.
There’s also a huge question mark about the effects of the Club World Cup on the squad’s fitness. It means a totally unprecedented preseason style for Chelsea. Their first team have just gone on holiday for 3 weeks, and will return less than a fortnight before our opening game of the season against Crystal Palace.
Most likely we go into this season quite undercooked compared to the rest of the league, and a slow start could be fatal for us as we try to win the league. Those early points are often what decides it – just look at Liverpool last year, able to coast to the finish after a strong start. Ironically, it could be the very tournament that has impressed so many pundits that costs us in the final tally.
Whatever happens though, this team has changed perceptions for a reason, and a good start to the campaign could see those odds tumble even further.
Bring on August already!
