New Jersey: Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca praised his players after their commanding 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in FIFA Club World Cup final, saying he “had no words” for their performance.
“I have no words for the players, they all deserve this and it’s a good moment,” Maresca said.
The Italian coach emphasised the need for aggressive pressing against a team of PSG’s caliber. “I think they are so good that if you give them back – that’s my personal opinion – you have to press them very intense,” he said.
“I think in the first 10 minutes we were able to do it, in our ideal world. We have to do that for 90 minutes, but we knew, with the weather conditions, it was not possible to do it for a long time, but we tried to be very aggressive,” he added.
Cole Palmer once again proved decisive in a high-stakes match. The 22-year-old scored twice to set the tone and earned the tournament’s Best Player award, reports Xinhua.
“It’s a great feeling,” Palmer said. “Even better because everyone doubted us before the game, we knew that. To put a fight like we did, it’s good.”
Maresca’s tactical plan allowed Palmer to drift inside from the right and find space behind PSG’s backline, unsettling Luis Enrique’s defense.
“The gaffer put a great game plan out. He knew where the space was going to be. He tried to free me up as much as possible, and I just had to repay him and score some goals,” Palmer said.
Palmer also praised Maresca’s influence and said Chelsea is moving in the right direction.
“He is building something special, something important. Everyone has talked a lot of stuff about us all season, but I feel like we are going in the right direction.”
PSG coach Luis Enrique expressed disappointment in the result and said the defeat was avoidable.
“I believe the whole situation was completely avoidable, and everyone bore some responsibility,” Enrique said. “It was an avoidable situation – there was a lot of tension, a lot of pressure – and from that point on, a number of people got involved in some pushing.”
“I think this should serve as a lesson for everyone, and something like this shouldn’t happen again,” he added.
Reflecting on the broader significance of the tournament, Enrique said he appreciated its role in elevating international club competition.
“In general, I think this is a tournament born from that long-standing need to determine who the best team in the world is. I found it interesting, and I liked it. We didn’t have the chance to win it; there was a team that was better than us in the final,” he concluded.
(IANS)
