Enzo Maresca's men must make the final step to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup as **Chelsea**compete with Espérance Tunis for the second spot in the standings. The warmup has been far from ideal but he "does not need any surprises" and is approaching this game accordingly.
‘It’s not about excuses, it’s about reality’
The heat looks like it will be a talking point for the rest of the tournament. European clubs are facing the challenge of adapting to these conditions and it seems to have forced Maresca to prioritise.
“It is almost impossible to train because of the weather. We are trying to save energy for the game. This morning’s session has been very short, it has been just about the game and no more because, as you see, it is difficult with these conditions, this temperature, but we are going to try to do our best.”
For the good of the players, he revealed training time has drastically decreased ahead of this fixture.
“We are not training almost, just doing very short session. We try to be clinical doing things we need for game preparation. In terms of heat, we have the cooling break during the game help a little bit.”
The manager made clear the focus on warm weather is solely an acceptance of what is in front of him.
“I always try to avoid excuses. I always try to be honest. It's not about excuses, it's about reality. It is an excuse when it's not hot and we say it's hot. That’s an excuse but if it's hot, it’s hot and it is difficult to work with this temperature. We are here we are trying to do our best and we're going to try to win.”
This tournament has also added to the load that is on the legs of the players at the end of the European club campaign. **Chelsea**qualified for the Conference League through the playoffs and went all the way to the final along with their typical domestic duties. The strain of the schedule has taken its toll.
“Tomorrow will be the 60 games of the season: just official games. The ones that also they have international games it's even more, but we try to give them as much time as possible to recover.”
‘The idea is to continue to evolve’
Maresca talked a little to the media about what he expects from Espérance Tunis in this meeting.
*“I watched both of their games. Against Flamengo, they were in the game until the end when they conceded the second goal. In the last 15 to 20 minutes, they were losing 1-0. They did a good game against Los Angeles. They won and did a good game, so it is going to be a tough game.”*
The **Club World Cup**carries a different meaning for the 32 clubs in the competition. The Blues are the reigning champions in this tournament, but the Italian did not indicate a demand to repeat the feat.
“The owners just want the best for us and for the players game by game and they are not talking about the final prize or reward in terms of money. They never put pressure on me or the players in terms needing to win this tournament because of the money. They just to try to win for everyone: for them, the club, the fans, the players, for me, for everyone so it's not just about the money.”
Indeed, if winning was the only objective, he would be under greater scrutiny. The inclusion of Reece James in the middle of the park was one of the observations that raised eyebrows last week. However, the 45-year-old suggested that this competition can be a way of building foundations for the future.
“Is it a good moment or not to try new things? I don't know but we also are here to think about the future and try different systems. Last year we played three or four different systems during the season, so it is the idea is to continue to evolve, to continue to improve and to try some different things.”
**Chelsea**cannot top the group due to their defeat in the second round of group games giving them a worse head to head record against the Brazilian outfit. They are likely to battle with Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 if they progress. But at the moment, the manager is not getting ahead of himself.
“Ask the same question after the game. If we go through, talk about Bayern. If we face Bayern or PSG, it will be very nice. But in this moment the main focus has to be about tomorrow because football is full of surprises, bad surprises and we don't need surprises. We need to be ready to win.”
‘We’re going to rotate’
Maresca mentioned a few matters that related to team news for this final fixture in the group stage.
Nicolas Jackson received a red card for a high tackle four minutes after he entered the field in the loss against Flamengo. The media quizzed the manager about how he handled the suspension, and since he will not be part of the matchday squad, the forward sat out of their latest training session.
“Nico was not in the session this morning because it's the day before the game and we just use the one that we're going to prepare the game, so because he is not in the game tomorrow, he was not us.”
One player who could come into the mix is Christopher Nkunku. The Frenchman has been on the fringes for a long time in west London, and rumours report he could be on his way out of the club. However, for now, it is preferable to have him as a part of the plans for possible rotational minutes.
“Christo is with us. He is doing very well in the last four five days to be honest so we can think about giving him some chances. We're going to rotate because the ones that they played two games. They are quite tired, so we need to rotate, and we see if there is any chance for those not playing a lot.”
Finally, he talked about Marc Cucurella, who has played 57 times for the Blues after the final of the 2024 European Championships. The Spaniard has soldiered on through the campaign as the only left footed fullback that features for the team. But his boss believes other options can cover for him.
*“At the beginning of the season, we used Malo Gusto, Renato Veiga was with us, so we had different options on that side. For sure, in that position, he is our only proper left fullback. But even **Reece James*did it a few times like against Newcastle United at home. We can different solutions: Josh Acheampong is another who did not play a lot, but he is one of the players that I really like.”