Football

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Soccer

THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN. ⚔️

PSG vs. Chelsea for the FIFA Club World Cup. It all comes down to this.

Lets 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋’𝐒 
Psg VS Chelsea

Chelsea Football Club ⭐⭐

Pregame PSG-Chelsea long cast.



Chelsea enters today as the usual underdogs, facing global skepticism, but they're prepared to defy expectations. 

Here’s how Enzo Maresca should arrange the team to enhance their winning chances and achieve another remarkable underdog triumph. 


PSG is undoubtedly the top team globally at the moment, and everyone recognizes this. However, if you believe Chelsea will be easily defeated, you're mistaken. 

Chelsea boasts one of the strongest defenses and midfields worldwide, along with exceptional ball circulation. They are incredibly difficult to break through. 

Any loss they might face will not exceed a one-goal margin, if at all.


However, my primary concern in this match is PSG's pressing strategy against Robert Sanchez. He tends to make mistakes and can be quite unpredictable. 

Dembele's aggressive, forward pressure will challenge him significantly, either by causing him to misstep or compelling him to hand over possession to PSG by kicking the ball out of play.


That's why Levi Colwill will be crucial today. He is very skilled with the ball, able to navigate through the press, deliver precise long passes over the defense, and break through the lines.

He offers a short passing option for Sanchez, allowing him to relieve pressure. Hopefully, in training, they've practiced this scenario extensively, with Sanchez anticipating Colwill's moves and consistently getting the ball to him, allowing Colwill to handle the rest.


For similar reasons, I would choose Trevoh Chalobah to team up with Levi Colwill today. PSG is known as the world's best pressing team, and they won't allow any space for relaxation; the back four must be at ease with the ball.

In short, I have more confidence in Chalobah handling this press than Tosin. However, there's a case for Tosin being the starting centre back, which I will discuss later.


During this tournament, Maresca has tried having one fullback overlap while a winger moves into the midfield to create central overloads, rather than having the fullback move inside. 

Today, I believe it's crucial to have Reece James actively move up and down the flank.


Possibly the greatest shortcoming in PSG's entire lineup is their lack of height and strength in aerial battles.

Reece James ranks among the top crossers in football. He should have the freedom to advance and launch balls into the box.

The physical presence and 1v1 strength of Hakimi and Mendes make it difficult for any player to directly challenge them, but James can deliver early crosses from various positions, reducing the fullbacks' impact.


Delap is starting to capitalize on those balls in the penalty area and to utilize his physicality. I believe PSG's most significant, exploitable vulnerability lies in their central defense.

Joao Pedro will play on the right but is allowed to come inside to partner with Delap as a striker, while James offers width. Neto will maintain his position on the left, known for his excellent first-time crosses. I believe he could be a tough challenge for Nuno Mendes.

Cole Palmer then also gets to manouver a lot through those right (or left) half spaces, and I think having 2 strikers in front fo him would give him a LOT of room for these shadow runs, to score.


The issue here is that Colwill essentially turns into CCB during the buildup. Naturally, with PSG's pressure, it raises the question of whether comfort is desired.

However, the advantage of having Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto is their versatility and comfort on both wings.

Maresca can adjust his formation depending on the state of the game.


Maybe at the beginning of the game, Cucurella could be the one overlapping, with Pedro on the left drifting inside, and Neto on the right.

It still functions effectively, although it's a more cautious strategy that offers less crossing threat (Cucurella and right-sided Neto compared to James and left-sided Neto who can cross immediately), but it improves press resistance with LCB Colwill and RCB James.

The other thing this may provide is a more natural Joao Pedro, better at drifting inside. In his first game, for example, both his goals came from the left half space. He gets to attack that more.


When time is ticking down while chasing, I believe you should change tactics to have James move rapidly up and down the field, and have Neto and Pedro swap sides, as I previously mentioned.

I also pointed out there's a case for starting Tosin, which relates to whether Maresca prefers focusing on set pieces over resisting press play. Tosin adds more threat and height for set pieces.

This is also why I believe a substitution would be suitable when needing to chase the game.


I haven't talked much about the midfield, as it is self-explanatory, especially with Lavia absent. I believe that would have added some intrigue.

However, Enzo plays a crucial role when in possession, facilitating bypassing and navigating through the press, especially to reach the wide runs of Neto. Meanwhile, Caicedo is essential when out of possession for disrupting PSG's technical play and retention to create transitions, which he excels at.


In the end, Chelsea's success against PSG will depend on their effective use of crossing skills and presence in the box.

Utilizing two strikers will be crucial, as will Palmer's ability to make stealthy runs into the box, so it's important he has the freedom to move and isn't limited today.

Maresca's methodical buildup is advantageous in this context, as having skilled players like Enzo, Colwill, and Palmer is excellent for drawing out the press. It will just come down to how effectively they can execute this.


UP THE CHELS. 💙

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