Key Takeaways
- Chelsea proved their worth to the football world with their dominant victory over PSG on Sunday.
- The Blues have built a strong squad with enormous potential, as they showed in the Club World Cup.
- It's time to consider the London giants Premier League title contenders again heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
Chelsea FC has spent millions of dollars on players over the last few years in order to make their squad as strong as humanly possible. While the Blues have faced heavy criticism at times, this club just proved their worth on the big stage at the Club World Cup, taking down arguably the best side on the planet – PSG.
But it wasn’t just a victory. It was a statement. Chelsea ran riot on the Champions League holders, scoring three goals within the opening 45 minutes. Everyone counted Enzo Maresca’s side out, claiming they had no business beating a team as world-class as PSG. Keep in mind, the French champions had already smashed Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Bayern Munich en route to the final.
However, the Blues took it right to Paris from the first whistle and absolutely tore apart their backline, with Cole Palmer playing hero. The Englishman, who is rapidly developing into one of the top players on the planet, bagged a pair of identical goals while also setting up summer signing Joao Pedro for the third with a nifty assist where the Brazilian finished it off in fine fashion.
Chelsea is a young side. That’s a well known fact by everyone who follows football. But, that also means they have enormous potential. The Blues have countless options in all areas of the pitch. Their attack has been given a boost with the arrival of Pedro, while Palmer is starting to find his best form again. Nicolas Jackson is capable of scoring goals, although there’s rumors he may be on his way out in the transfer window. Then you have Liam Delap, the perfect target man who was signed from Ipswich Town. Delap is big, physical, and has an eye for goal. Estevao is arriving from Palmeiras too and has tons of upside.
In the middle of the pitch, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are absolutely phenomenal and mainstays for Chelsea every single match. Reece James, while injured a lot, is one of the best wing backs in the world when healthy. He’s the full package. Marc Cucurella is also as solid as can be on the left and proved himself for Spain in last summer’s Euros as well.
Maresca has shown he’s the right man for the job. He led the Blues to two trophies in only his first season in charge after leading Leicester City to the Championship title before arriving at Stamford Bridge. Sure, winning the Conference League isn’t exactly the biggest piece of hardware out there, but Chelsea put their quality on full display in the Club World Cup.
Many said the Blues’ road to the final wasn’t all that difficult. Maybe it wasn’t. They had to beat Brazilian sides and Benfica in the Round of 16. However, meeting up with a club like PSG and essentially embarrassing them was enough proof that Chelsea needs to be considered one of the best in Europe again – and a Premier League contender.
Liverpool, of course, heads into the 2025-26 campaign as the clear favorite. Their squad remains intact, with the exception of losing Diogo Jota to a tragic accident. The Reds did bring in two impactful signings, though, in Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. Mo Salah still spearheads this attack, while Cody Gakpo continues to find his best in England.
Arne Slot’s men will be a tall task for Chelsea. There’s no question about it. But, they’re the Blues’ only serious threat to returning to Premier League superiority. Arsenal continuously falls short. Manchester City has an aging midfield and doesn’t look like the same side as years past.
Chelsea has youth, talent, and a wonderful manager on their side. The sky is the limit for this club in England and beyond. This Club World Cup triumph is just a glimpse into what this team is capable of.
It’s a great time to be a Chelsea supporter.
