Peter Crouch has argued that Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side have done something that doesn’t get enough credit.
The Blues have definitely made steady progress in the past 15 months since Enzo Maresca took charge as the head coach. Last season, they won two major trophies and finished fourth in the Premier League.
Andre Villas-Boas thinks Chelsea are on the right path under Maresca’s guidance right now with their talented young squad. However, the expectation and pressure will only continue to rise on them to compete for silverware across the board.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca carries the Conference League and Club World Cup trophies on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Peter Crouch thinks Chelsea deserve more respect for Club World Cup glory
According to Peter Crouch, Chelsea may deserve more credit for winning the Club World Cup tournament in the summer, thrashing Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final.
When asked on That Peter Crouch Podcast if Chelsea get enough respect for being the Club World Cup holders, Crouch said: “No, they don’t get anywhere near enough respect for that, really. It’s a brand new tournament and no one knows what the hell it was. So they don’t, I mean, it’s not like a Champions League winner.
“I think the respect, I think the longer the competition goes on, it will gain a lot of respect. But there was a lot of teams, top teams, not in it, right? You can’t be world champions if all the best teams aren’t in it.”
Peter Crouch working as a pundit for a Premier League match.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Chelsea took the Club World Cup seriously because of the financial benefits. The summer competition did divide opinion after its expansion, though.
While it was an enjoyable time for the players and supporters, there may be a lasting impact because they have been very unfortunate with several injuries during the opening months of the 2025-26 campaign.
Chelsea managers have a habit of winning trophies
By winning two trophies last season, Maresca joins a very talented list of managers to win silverware while coaching Chelsea.
If we rewind to the start of the Roman Abramovich era, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo, Rafael Benitez, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri and Thomas Tuchel have each won at least one trophy in the Blues dugout.
Hopefully, Maresca can become a serial winner over an extended period under the current Chelsea owners.