PHILADELPHIA – The temperature hit 100 degrees in Philadelphia but that didn’t stop Chelsea from accomplishing their goals and defeating Esperance De Tunisie 3-0 on Tuesday night. The Blues needed a point to secure passage to the round of 16, and despite Enzo Maresca changing most of the squad following their disappointing loss to Flamengo, they got the job done. In competitions like the Club World Cup, sometimes a team just needs to survive and advance, and while that can be tough to do at the end of a grueling season, when a trophy is on the line, it’s easy to regain focus.
Some may see the Club World Cup as glorified friendlies, but that’s not how the players are viewing it, especially now as the knockout stage approaches. Chelsea wanted to make sure that they advanced to the knockout stages even after some players played 50-plus matches for the club during the season en route to winning the Europa Conference League and qualifying for the Champions League.
This expanded tournament has a place in the summer schedule, and while concerns for how many matches are being put on players’ legs are still there, that’s not something that they’re thinking about during the games as the potential for glory grows with each victory.
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“We’re not treating this as a preseason, this is just another competition at the back end of a regular season, and it’s a big competition that we want to push in,” Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo said after the match.
From new players like Liam Delap getting integrated into the squad to young players getting to show that they’re ready for the next step in their careers, there’s plenty to play for during this tournament.
This tournament has really helped me settle in because you know if we’re back at the training ground, everyone would be disappearing at three o’clock," Delap said. “And here we’re together all the time, so it’s a great way to get settled in, and everyone’s been really helpful.
Or, as Chelsea’s Benoit Badiashile put it, “When you have the chance to play in the Club World Cup, you have to give 100%.”
The Club World Cup isn’t that. While expansion has raised questions about if certain clubs belong in the tournament, no one wants to lose these games, and even if it’s playing for the prize money, that’s still a factor.
