Grumpy Maresca still hopeful Chelsea can win Club World Cup he thinks needs fixing
The Italian has repeatedly complained about the heat, the calendar and the toll on his players' fitness at the tournament, while also criticising FIFA for the weather delay that interrupted his team's round-of-16 clash against Benfica for nearly two hours.
On Monday, ahead of the semi-final against Fluminense, the Chelsea boss refused to accept that his Premier League side were favourites, instead arguing that the tournament calendar unfairly benefited South American teams.
Maresca said the South American sides had arrived with fresh legs in midseason while the Europeans were exhausted at the end of a long campaign.
"It is not that we don't see this tournament as important, it's that teams have arrived in two completely different situations and realities. How many games have the Brazilian team played in their current season? We have played 63 games," Maresca told a press conference.
Maresca said Chelsea took the competition seriously but structural improvements were needed.
"I see the Club World Cup as a top competition and we are very happy to be here, we want to win it, but at the same time that are several things I think could be improved probably due to the fact that it is the first time they are organising it," he said.
Maresca also said that "many other things have been done well" but did not specify what those positive things were.
The manager praised Brazilian football quality ahead of facing his third Brazilian opponents, after Chelsea lost 3-1 to Flamengo in the group stage and beat Palmeiras 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
"The quality from Brazilian players is probably the top, is the best quality," he said, while again highlighting the conditioning gap between fresh South American sides and exhausted Europeans.
"There are two things that for me are very clear in the two games that we face (against) Brazilian teams. One is the quality but at the same time it is very clear the energy that they have, for different reasons, and we don't. Top quality and also defensively, they were very good. So it will be a tough game."
Despite his litany of grievances with the tournament format and conditions, Maresca's Chelsea remain in contention for the title as they prepare to face the Brazilian underdogs who have defied all expectations to reach the semi-finals. — REUTERS
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