Tactical Deep Dive: What Chelsea Did Right vs PSG in Club World Cup Final

MetLife Stadium might have been drenched in pop‑concert glitz, presidential cameos and post‑match scuffles, yet the football cut through the noise with rare clarity. Chelsea’s 3‑0 dismantling of freshly‑crowned European champions Paris Saint‑Germain was not a smash‑and‑grab; it was 43 minutes of controlled havoc followed by 47 of immaculate game‑management. Here’s how Enzo Maresca’s young side made the world champions look jaded.

▪️ Premier League
▪️ FA Cup
▪️ Carabao Cup
▪️ Champions League
▪️ Europa League
▪️ Conference League
▪️ Club World Cup

Chelsea are the first club in football history to win every major trophy 🏆

Not bad at all 😏 pic.twitter.com/JP6iajRBbp

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) July 13, 2025

Owning the First Phase: A 4‑2‑3‑1 That Pressed Like a 4‑4‑2

Maresca flipped the script by defending in a front two: João Pedro stepped up alongside Cole Palmer, the pair screening PSG’s pivots and forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma long. When the goalkeeper did try to play short, Chelsea set pressing traps down PSG’s left. The crucial 22-minute opener arrived exactly that way — Malo Gusto pouncing on a loose Nuno Mendes pass, Palmer burying the cut-back with ice-cold efficiency.

Despite finishing the match with just 34% of possession, Chelsea were far more incisive. They generated an expected goals (xG) total of 1.49 compared to PSG’s 0.69, underlining their superior chance quality and clinical edge. Chelsea’s 3 goals came from just 5 shots on target — converting at a remarkable 60% efficiency rate — while PSG mustered 6 shots on target without reply nor a dent in The Blues' lead. Chelsea also completed only 243 passes to PSG’s 542, yet dominated where it mattered most: territory, tempo, and transitions.

Chelsea 3-0 Paris Saint-Germain

Chelsea are the 'world' champions following an excellent victory over reigning European champions PSG in the Club World Cup final.

Look back at the key stats, here: https://t.co/EfE6sXAyKk pic.twitter.com/iHidWVktm6

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) July 13, 2025

Cole Palmer: The Free Ten

Palmer drifted constantly between the lines, forcing Vitinha to choose between stepping out of midfield or exposing the centre-backs. His second goal — the snake-hips feint before whipping low inside the far post — came from occupying that half-space beside Marquinhos. Minutes later he cushioned a pass into João Pedro’s stride for the third, finishing the final with two goals, one assist and the tournament’s Golden Ball.

Off the ball, Palmer pressed with intent, often initiating Chelsea’s triggers from central areas. The tactical design allowed him to shift between attacking midfielder and a false striker in pressing phases, giving Chelsea numerical control without the ball while punishing PSG’s defensive gaps with his positional awareness and composure.

🥶 pic.twitter.com/hojPse4r9q

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 13, 2025

Robert Sánchez: Playmaker‑Keeper

PSG pressed with three forwards, but Sánchez refused to be rushed. Of his 37 completed passes, 12 split the first line, drawing PSG on before Chelsea went over or around them. His composure in possession gave Chelsea confidence to play from deep and bypass PSG’s press. More tangibly, he made six crucial saves, including a sharp stop from Désiré Doué’s curling effort early in the second half and a reflex block to deny Ousmane Dembélé late on.

In total, Sánchez also recorded 11 defensive recoveries — an outstanding return for a goalkeeper and a testament to his alertness during PSG’s sporadic moments of pressure. His role went beyond shot-stopping; he operated as a sweeper and distributor, launching several of Chelsea’s transition moves after turnovers in midfield.

Golden glove winner. 🏅 pic.twitter.com/xSzNgdRAfJ

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 13, 2025

Marc Cucurella: The Inverted Left‑Back Who Strangled the Champions

Nominally at left-back, Cucurella tucked into midfield whenever Chelsea built play. That shifted the shape to a back three in possession, freeing Reece James to step beside Moisés Caicedo as a double pivot and giving Palmer a cleaner passing lane between the lines. Defensively, Cucurella was combative and controlled — winning three tackles, making two headed clearances, and recording multiple high-field ball recoveries that helped Chelsea maintain territorial dominance.

His positional flexibility helped Chelsea overload central areas when out of possession, while his pressing contributed to the disruption of PSG’s rhythm in wide areas. In the 83rd minute, his relentless energy drew João Neves into a moment of frustration that resulted in a straight red card after pulling Cucurella’s hair — a moment that summed up both Chelsea’s intensity and PSG’s fatigue.

Why PSG Looked Leg-Heavy

Luis Enrique’s side have packed 58 competitive matches into the nine months since kick-off last August; Nuno Mendes, alone has clocked over 70 appearances this season for club and country, with João Neves and Vitinha closely behind, clocking in over 60. The signs of exhaustion were evident. Loose touches, delayed reactions and a clear drop in counter-pressing intensity all pointed to heavy legs. PSG were unable to generate sustained tempo, and when they did recover possession, they often found themselves outnumbered or too sluggish to exploit Chelsea’s transitional moments.

Chelsea, by contrast, looked fresher and more tactically drilled. They won the majority of contested duels in midfield and on the flanks, particularly through the work of Caicedo, who committed five tactical fouls — sacrifices that broke PSG’s rhythm and gave Chelsea the chance to reset their defensive block. These marginal gains compounded the pressure PSG felt, eventually forcing their decision-making to collapse under the weight of accumulated fatigue.

It is a reminder that even a Champions League-winning squad can buckle when the legs run out. PSG’s high-octane style, which dismantled Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, was conspicuous by its absence in New Jersey. Their vertical passing was stifled, their width neutralised, and their transitions rendered ineffective by Chelsea’s tactical compactness and physical advantage.

PSG's 2024-2025 season will stretch to 65 competitive games:

- 34 Ligue 1 games 🏆
- 17 Champions League games 🏆
- 6 Coupe de France games 🏆
- 1 Trophée des Champions 🏆
- 7 Club World Cup games 🏆 / 🥈 pic.twitter.com/aXSSoqP0wp

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) July 9, 2025

The Bigger Picture

A tactical masterclass, yes, but also vindication for Maresca’s ideas after a season of progress rather than perfection at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea looked prepared not only in their patterns of play but in their stamina, application, and adaptability. Every phase of their game had clarity — from Sánchez's distribution to Palmer’s devastating intelligence between the lines.

For PSG, the defeat stings, yet the deeper concern is how quickly they can refresh weary bodies before Ligue 1 starts in four weeks. Chelsea, meanwhile, board the flight home as world champions with the knowledge that their blueprint — aggressive pressing, position-flexible full-backs, and a 22-year-old playmaker unafraid of any stage — travels well. On this evidence, it could yet take them a lot further than New Jersey.