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American weather one, football nil. The chaos stole the limelight but it was a shame that the standard of Chelsea’s performance against Benfica on Saturday got lost in the storm. All anyone could talk about when a bonkers occasion finally came to an end, four hours and 38 minutes after it started, was the lightning. There was a lot of sitting around during the delay, a lot of wondering about the precise way it was going to go wrong for Chelsea when play resumed with 85min 30sec of normal time gone. Enzo Fernández missing the decisive kick during a penalty shootout? A catastrophic red card?
In the event it was left to VAR to drag it into extra time, an equaliser for Benfica arriving in the 95th minute when a penalty was awarded after Malo Gusto was punished for the kind of unavoidable handball that would no longer be pored over in the Premier League. A goal up when the weather gods took over at the Bank of America Stadium, now Chelsea had to show their mettle. How would they respond? The answer was resounding. Benfica collapsed, going down to 10 men early in extra time, and Chelsea were through to the last eight of the Club World Cup with three late goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The lesson is that if you win it once you can win it again. There were two games in one because of the implementation of the severe weather protocol and, barring the bit where Benfica came out with nothing to lose and capitalised on a generous refereeing decision to score, Chelsea were better in both. Enzo Maresca’s initial system had worked well. On a day when Chelsea agreed a deal to sign another winger – Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens – Maresca picked a team with room for just one wide player and saw variety that bodes well for next season. Cole Palmer, playing as an inside-left, was lively and dangerous. Marc Cucurella surged forward from wing-back. Roméo Lavia, Fernández and Moisés Caicedo were impressive in midfield.
Chelsea squeezed Benfica, pressing Bruno Lage’s side, making it impossible for them to play. Maresca saw control and maturity against a Champions League side. The head coach was not wrong to say that this was one of Chelsea’s best performances in recent months.
It was certainly an improvement on their efforts during the group stage in the US. Maresca experimented with the same system against Flamengo but the execution was not quite right. Reece James is a brilliant right-back but is less effective as a central midfielder. Palmer on the right and Neto on the left, meanwhile, created the wrong balance in attack.
Yet there was value in exploring the idea. It is said that Maresca’s system hinges on having two conventional wingers but there is undoubted benefit to having more than one way of playing. Chelsea are looking for versatility. It explains why they are pushing to beat Newcastle to the signing of Brighton’s João Pedro, who can play in a range of positions in attack.
Equally important is Maresca finding a way to use Lavia, Caicedo, Fernández and Palmer without having to make compromises. Chelsea are smoother when Lavia is controlling play but starting the Belgian has often meant pushing Caicedo to right-back, which is an uncomfortable fit. By shifting Palmer wide, though, Maresca can find space for his three best midfielders and keep his chief creator in the team. It does not have to mean Palmer playing as a winger. He still had freedom to drift into the pockets against Benfica and his movement acted as a decoy at times, leaving space for Cucurella to maraud from left back.
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There are encouraging signs for Chelsea before they face Palmeiras on Friday, even though Caicedo will be serving a one-match ban. The hierarchy did not like losing to Flamengo but it is worth stressing that they had no issue with Maresca trying something new. Adaptability in a manager is an enviable quality. Chelsea know that it can be important to look past the final score and pay close attention to the underlying data. Positives can be found even in defeat, just as wins can paper over tactical flaws.
This is still a work in progress. Yet given that a lot has been made of Chelsea’s inexperience, it is only fair to point out that they have come through a lot of tough moments this year. They held their nerve to qualify for the Champions League, fought back from a goal down to beat Real Betis in the Conference League final and dealt with a curveball against Benfica. There is a sense within the club that the pieces are falling into place. Perhaps Maresca is on the path to turning doubters into believers.
