Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has unveiled the club’s plan to navigate the scorching American summer heat. This comes ahead of their highly anticipated Club World Cup meeting against Flamengo.
While the temperature increases in Philadelphia, the Blues approach the climax of an 11-month ordeal of back-to-back games. The Italian manager is worried about his players’ physicality and has prioritized rotation:
“It’s not easy. But this is also why we are trying to rotate the players. It’s a problem for us, but it’s also a problem for some of the other teams.”
Maresca has committed Chelsea to rotating as many as five players per game to remain match-fit with temperatures as high as 32°C. The switch is part of a broader plan to limit training load and focus on working up for matches.
“We try to train less and prioritise the things that are important such as in-game tactics.”
Chelsea face Flamengo, a side Maresca had termed “very well organised” and who have the advantage of playing in the heat.
“They are a very good team, they play nice football and they have many good players. Their manager is a former player, who played for many years in Europe, so I know him.”
That manager is former Blues left-back Filipe Luis, who now oversees a Flamengo team blessed with talent and technical skill. The brilliant Brazilian side have not lost a game in the competition. They are expected to be a significant thorn in the Blues’ ambition to go deep into the tournament.
Chelsea Boss Maresca Explains Club World Cup “Pre-season” Comment
Maresca has referred to the Club World Cup as a “pre-season” because of the very short break since the Blues won the Europa Conference League. However, he insisted that there was competitive desire in the team:
“We know this is a big competition, so we are here to win games and go far.”
The Blues’ ability to adapt tactically will be tested by one of the best clubs in South America today (kick-off 19:00 BST).