While Joao Pedro was the obvious star of the show in Chelsea’s win against Fluminense, several Blues stars impressed to help the team reach another cup final.
The Blues squad had a taste of success back in May by lifting the Conference League trophy, beating Real Betis in the final. Enzo Maresca’s side will now face either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.
Chelsea recorded a convincing 2-0 win against Brazilian side Fluminense on Tuesday night in the Club World Cup semi-final.
On his first Chelsea start, Joao Pedro put down a marker early into his Blues career by scoring two stunning goals in the semis. The 23-year-old attacker looked the complete package during his hour on the pitch before being replaced by Nicolas Jackson.
Pedro has already paid a chunk of his £60m transfer fee because the club earned another £22m for their semi-final victory.
Trevoh Chalobah stunned by Marc Cucurella’s goal-line clearance
Chelsea kept another clean sheet at the Club World Cup tournament as they breezed through their semi-final tie.
Trevoh Chalobah, who started at centre-half against Fluminense, praised fellow defender Marc Cucurella after the team’s win. In particular, he mentioned the “amazing” goal-line clearance from the left-back.
Chalobah told FIFA: “It’s something that just runs through the team, to not concede that goal, to try to keep a clean sheet. If everyone on the team is like this and has that type of mentality, we can go far. Obviously the goal clearance from Cucurella was amazing, and the hunger and fight we show is what’s needed from a team in a tournament like this.”
With Chelsea leading 1-0, Cucurella kept his side ahead with some instinctive defending to make a goal-line clearance from a Hercules shot that was on target. His overall performance for 90 minutes against Fluminense was immense, too.
| Minutes played | Total shots | Accurate passes | Chances created | Tackles won | Ground duels won | Aerial duels won | Dribbled past | Match rating |
| 90 | 2 | 53/61 (87%) | 1 | 1/2 (50%) | 3/4 (75%) | 4/4 (100%) | 0 | 8.0 |
The reality is that the 26-year-old Spanish full-back has been in outstanding form for the best part of a year now.
Cucurella believes his form has turned under Enzo Maresca, explaining that the Chelsea head coach likes to control possession, something that suits his game after an upbringing at Barcelona.
In a recent interview, Robert Sanchez called Cucurella one of the world’s best left-backs. Nobody should have any argument with that claim right now.
Chelsea will damage Marc Cucurella if they don’t sign another left-back
Unless Chelsea sign a new left-back to cover for Cucurella next season, the immense workload will eventually catch up with the Spaniard and impact him negatively.
Across the 2024/25 season, which includes the Club World Cup, Cucurella has played 53 club games across all competitions. It’s obvious that he needs an understudy to allow him some more rest moving forward.
19-year-old Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, who plays left-back or centre-half, would be our pick.
Chelsea are lining up a move for Hato after the Club World Cup, which should be music to the ears of Cucurella.
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