How Maresca and Palmer Dismantled PSG to Win the Club World Cup

When Paris St-Germain, the newly-crowned and seemingly invincible champions of Europe, arrived at MetLife Stadium for the FIFA Club World Cup final, they were expected to cruise to another title. Instead, they were systematically dismantled in a stunning 3-0 defeat that served as a powerful statement of intent from Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea.

The victory was not a fluke or a smash-and-grab; it was the result of a perfectly executed tactical plan that suffocated a global powerhouse and validated Chelsea’s controversial, high-spending project. As pundits and fans alike watched in astonishment, the key question emerged: how did they do it?

The answer lies in a combination of tactical bravery from the manager and individual brilliance from his resurgent star, Cole Palmer.

Maresca admitted his side “won the game in the first 10 minutes.” Chelsea’s strategy was clear: an aggressive, man-to-man high press designed to disrupt PSG’s rhythm and deny them space. “The idea was to go man-to-man because if you leave spaces to PSG they will kill you,” Maresca explained. “We tried to be very aggressive and suffocate them early on and that intensity was crucial.”

This approach put PSG under a level of stress they have rarely faced all season. “I’ve never seen PSG turn the ball over as much as they have in this first half,” noted former England midfielder Andros Townsend on the Dazn broadcast.

Once this physical authority was established, Chelsea targeted a clear structural weakness: PSG’s left flank. By having striker João Pedro frequently drift wide to combine with Palmer, they created overloads that left PSG’s left-back, Nuno Mendes, completely exposed. The method was often direct, with passes dropped in behind the French side’s defence. The result was a “tactical masterclass,” as described by Townsend.

Executing this plan was Cole Palmer. After a difficult period where he struggled to find form in a central number 10 role, Maresca moved him back to the right wing for this tournament—the position where he first excelled under previous boss Mauricio Pochettino. The decision paid off spectacularly. Palmer looked reborn, scoring two superb, near-identical goals and providing a sublime defence-splitting pass for João Pedro to score Chelsea’s third, all before halftime. As Gareth Bale noted, “PSG have been PSG’d.”

This victory is more than just a single trophy; it is a profound moment of vindication for the club’s ownership. After being labelled “billion-pound bottle-jobs” by critics like Gary Neville just 18 months ago, Chelsea have now won the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup in the same year with the tournament’s youngest squad.

The players and staff celebrated with a passion that underlined the trophy’s significance, a point Maresca was keen to emphasize. “I feel that this competition will be as important as or even more important than the Champions League,” he said. “Allowing Chelsea fans to wear that world champion patch on their shirts is a source of pride for us.”

With confidence now booming, the question turns to the future. “I don’t think they’re far off at all,” said Bale, assessing their Premier League title chances. “They’ve shown a lot of character… they’ll have that self-belief now.” For Chelsea, this was not just a world title; it was a sign that their ambitious, and often criticized, project is finally ready to challenge for the biggest honours in the game.