Chelsea beat Los Angeles FC 2-0 in their Club World Cup opener, getting off to a good start in the competition.
Enzo Maresca used all of Chelsea’s traits to their advantages while beating LAFC in Group D’s opening game of the 2025 Club World Cup. The flow of the match was similar to most of what the Blues fans have seen under the Italian, and it was exactly what they needed.
Still, it wasn’t the perfect showing and there are obviously lots of other levels they can reach when really engaged. So let’s start with why it was the ideal game even though they didn’t particularly well, especially compared to what they’ve already shown in recent months.
Ball retention and resting with possession
As expected, Chelsea dominated possession (65% to 35%) and all actions across the game, but the difference looked even bigger in the first half. LAFC still managed to string together a few nice passes and advance a little bit, but could never really involve their front three in the build-up, let alone get touches inside the box (just one before half-time).
Maresca’s offensive 3-2-5 shape allowed the Blues to rotate the ball, go forward and then backwards with a lot of ease. He also trusted LAFC’s general inability to dictate tempo and it paid off when they eventually made a mistake and Chelsea turned into a fast break, finished brilliantly by Pedro Neto’s stunning goal.
From there, all the Blues had to do was be themselves and keep the ball, moving from side to side and tiring out the opposition. Chelsea didn’t exactly impress throughout the game, but also didn’t give themselves the chance to get exhausted. It might be a short tournament, but one month in the heat of the American summer can get to the players really fast.
Flirting with danger
In the second half, Chelsea really took their feet off the gas and allowed LAFC to generate a few dangerous chances. But they couldn’t convert any of them – and that could be a product of fatigue, since they were chasing the ball or players pretty much the whole time.
And despite the half chances the Americans had, Robert Sanchez did well when called upon and performed four saves overall. That’s more than he had to make in his final two Premier League games combined, against Nottingham Forest (2) and Manchester United (1).
Denis Bouanga, LAFC’s main man, was mostly contained and kept quiet during the game by Chelsea’s defence. When he had the chance to make a difference, was either off balance and tired or made the wrong decision.
Inverted roles
This wasn’t the richest of matches in terms of tactical battles and adjustments that changed the trajectory of the game. But the role of Chelsea’s strikers was interesting.
Nicolas Jackson specifically played outside of the box a lot, trying to set up his teammates instead of looking for his own shots. He took on two defenders before putting Noni Madueke through on goal early on and then played a beautiful pass in behind the defence that set up Pedro Neto’s opener.
The Senegalese striker created three chances in 64 minutes, as many as he had managed in his previous 10 games combined for Chelsea across all competitions. Just once in 2024-25 did he create as many chances (also three against Newcastle United, back in October).
Liam Delap, on the other hand, was a bit more aggressive while looking to score in his debut for the Blues, but that didn’t stop him from trying to set other players up as well. He assisted Enzo Fernandez’s goal with a beautiful cross and ended the game with two chances created, the same as his 16 previous matches. Granted, Ipswich Town played a different style and he had more responsibility to score in the few on-ball touches he received, but the number still stands out.
Now, Chelsea are looking comfortable in the Group D standings and can turn it up against Flamengo if necessary on Friday, which should be enough to beat the Brazilians. The other game will be next week against Esparance from Tunisia, an even lesser opponent. Grabbing wins on less than 100% effort might not be the most pleasing football, but it’s certainly the best possible outcome for any team in this tournament.