
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.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Kylian Mbappe and PSG set for Club World Cup reunion as Real Madrid eye final
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe will come up against Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since he left the club. EAST RUTHERFORD – Kylian Mbappe will come up against Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since leaving the French club a year ago, as Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid revolution gets its biggest test yet in the Club World Cup semi-final on July 9. Mbappe should be remembered as a PSG legend, having spent seven prolific campaigns there and eventually departing as their all-time top scorer with 256 goals in 308 games. But his legacy was a little tainted by the manner of his departure, the sense among many that for the last half of his time in Paris he was just waiting for the right moment to move to Madrid, the club he had dreamed of representing as a young boy. PSG, under their Qatari president Nasser al-Khelaifi, were not happy with the way in which Mbappe chose to run down his contract in order to sign for Real in 2024, denying them a transfer fee. A bitter legal dispute has gone on between the parties for much of the time since, with Mbappe claiming he is owed 55 million euros in unpaid wages and bonuses from his spell in Paris. The latest twist came just this week, when one of Mbappe's lawyers said that the France captain had withdrawn a complaint of moral harassment against his former employers. That was after the Paris prosecutor's office revealed last month that an investigation had been opened following a complaint by the player over the way he was treated by PSG in the summer of 2023. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World 25% on Japan and Malaysia, 40% on Laos: Trump's tariff letters to Asia add pressure for deals by Aug 1 Business Asia markets edge up as Trump signals still open to tariff talks World Netanyahu says he nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize Singapore MRT train services resume on 5-station stretch of North-South Line after track fault Multimedia 'I suspect he's cheating': She finds proof when spouses stray Opinion Singapore at 60: Home truly is an idea that never stands still Singapore Fastest charger to be added to Singapore's EV charging network by Q4 in 2025 Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 He believes he was sidelined by PSG and made to train with players the club were looking to offload after refusing to agree a new contract. Mbappe missed a pre-season tour to Japan and the start of the next campaign before eventually being reintegrated into Luis Enrique's squad. All of that should have been behind Mbappe long ago, given the way his first season at Real has gone on a personal level. The 26-year-old, a World Cup winner in 2018, scored 43 goals in 56 matches for his new club across all competitions up to the end of the campaign in La Liga, a remarkable tally. However, Mbappe has endured frustration at the Club World Cup, not featuring at all during the group stage due to a stomach bug which led to him requiring hospital treatment. In his absence, young forward Gonzalo Garcia has made the step up in impressive fashion, starting all five matches in the United States and scoring four goals. The last of those was the opener in the 3-2 quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday, but it was Mbappe who got what was ultimately the deciding goal. He came off the bench midway through the second half and scored a brilliant, acrobatic overhead kick for Real's third of the afternoon in stoppage time. 'He is still not perfect, not 100 percent, but he is getting better every day,' Alonso said of Mbappe. 'Now he will have three days to keep progressing and feeling better ahead of the semi-final.' It is hard to imagine Mbappe not getting his first start of the tournament against PSG, the club who won the Champions League in the season following his departure after so many years of disappointment in Europe with him in the team. PSG came to the US fresh from crushing Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final. They reached the last four with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in Atlanta in the last eight – despite having Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez sent off – and need not fear Real. 'It doesn't matter who we play in the semi-finals. All that matters is that we are there and that we want to get to the final,' said Enrique, for whom this is also a special occasion given that he spent five years at Madrid as a player in the 1990s. Alonso has just taken over as Real coach after an outstanding spell with Bayer Leverkusen and has already displayed great tactical flexibility, flitting between a back four and a three-man central defence at the tournament. It will be fascinating to see which system he opts for here, and if Mbappe starts as he prepares to play against PSG for the first time since July 2017, when he was still a thrilling teenager at Monaco. AFP

Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Grumpy Maresca still hopeful Chelsea can win Club World Cup he thinks needs fixing
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca remains one of the Club World Cup's harshest critics, despite his team reaching the semi-finals, and continued a stream of complaints about everything from the weather to the scheduling ahead of Tuesday's clash with Fluminense. 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. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore About 20 delivery riders meet Pritam Singh to discuss platform worker issues Business OCBC sets loan target of $5b and covers more territories in boost for serial entrepreneurs Singapore Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform; two parties remain 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


CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Grumpy Maresca still hopeful Chelsea can win Club World Cup he thinks needs fixing
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. :Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca remains one of the Club World Cup's harshest critics, despite his team reaching the semi-finals, and continued a stream of complaints about everything from the weather to the scheduling ahead of Tuesday's clash with Fluminense. 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.