Are Chelsea back? Winning the Club World Cup could be the start of new trophy-filled era, but questions remain

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Coming off of lifting the Club World Cup, there was a noticeable swagger to Levi Cowill and the Chelsea squad. Following a lead-up to the match where there was an assumption that they’d lose to Paris Saint-Germain, the Blues rolled up to MetLife Stadium, pressed the Parisians off the pitch, and lifted their second trophy of the season. Colwill summed up things quite well after the match, saying, “That’s what Chelsea does, Chelsea wins.”

While that hasn’t been the case recently for the Blues, the Club World Cup, which they’ll be able to point to on their shirts — which still don’t have a sponsor — for the next four years until the 2029 edition of the tournament. Booking their return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2022-23 season, winning the Conference League was an expectation for the Blues, and making the top four of the Premier League was an accomplishment, but in defeating PSG, it felt like the Chelsea team that competed for major silverware year in and year out was returning, even if it was just for 90 minutes. 

“We knew this was our last game of football for this season, so there’s no way we were going to go on holiday and sit there thinking oh, I wish I could’ve gave that little bit more for the team,” Colwill said. “I told everyone this before the game, and we went there and gave everything, and that’s what the scoreline reflects, and that’s why we wanted it.”

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo lived up to their price tags, bossing the midfield, Cole Palmer was able to show why he’s one of the best players in the Premier League, and Marc Cucurella was everywhere. Even Joao Pedro led the line and scored a goal after joining Chelsea only 11 days before the final, bringing hope that an impactful nine has joined for the first time since Diego Costa’s departure from the club.

Simply put, there’s a lot to like about this Chelsea squad, but there’s also a lot that needs to be resolved. With Champions League play on the table, Enzo Maresca won’t be able to rotate the squad as much as he did in the Conference League, where he deployed almost two entirely different squads. This will put more minutes on everyone’s legs, removing one of the greatest strengths that Chelsea had during the CWC in their freshness compared to other teams. More transfers will also happen with Noni Madueke potentially on the way out, but the confidence from this tournament can’t be understated.

Even the players talked about how their confidence grew with every win as they continued to believe in themselves, and it helped push the team to victory but when Chelsea’s stature is so large, it can’t stop there. Chelsea captain Reece James reflected a bit following the match after his own strong showing in midfield.

“Today showed how far our club has come. We’ve had a difficult few years not competing in the Champions League, and this was the toughest test today,” James said. “We probably got a little bit of love with the draws and stuff in the competition, and today was the best team that we faced. We knew it was going to be tough, and I know the team was ready, and I think we showed that.”

James’ own career has mirrored Chelsea’s struggles with him missing significant time due to injuries, but one of the benefits of a bigger squad allows him to rotate more and be available for big games like this one. That management will be key to how Chelsea perform this coming season, as will their goalkeeping situation. Milan keeper Mike Maignan was linked to join the Blues before the Club World Cup kicked off, and while that deal didn’t go through, Robert Sanchez showed the best of what he can do in net, making six major saves during the final.

Decisions like that one will determine how far Chelsea can go over the course of the season, but this success in a knockout tournament is something that can be carried forward. Knocking that they can show up and win consecutive games against tough opposition while creating different game plans is critical. Taking that across two legs, if Chelsea advances past the league phase of the Champions League will be the next test for the Blues. It doesn’t seem like how this squad is currently setup will lead to winning the Premier League this coming season, but they are moving in the right direction. Joao Perdo or Liam Delap solving their issues of who leads the line will accelerate Chelsea’s return to the top, but even if that doesn’t happen overnight,t the Club World Cup has shown that the Blues are on the right track.