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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Cole Palmer's Chelsea finally believe they are Premier League contenders
When Chelsea won the Conference League in May, a victory secured by the standard ice‑cold Cole Palmer performance in a final, the reaction was restrained and there was no internal talk of an impending title challenge. Now the vibe is different. It is hard not to dream when Chelsea perform as they did against Paris Saint‑Germain in the final of the Club World Cup. Nobody is getting carried away. Chelsea know what the rest of us know, which is that they are not the best team in the world. They are not the finished article. They are young and still have much to learn. Yet there is a gold badge on the shirt for the next four years and if Chelsea woke up feeling $100m on Monday morning it will not only have been because of the prize money made during their month in the US. Where does this end? Chelsea have built priceless momentum and will head into the new season with serious aspirations of winning the Premier League and going far in the Champions League. They are youthful, aggressive, motivated and extremely talented. They are champions of the world, an achievement that should not be played down. They were the second-youngest side at the Club World Cup and have benefited from treating it seriously. They have grown as a team, honing their tactical vision and hardening their mentality, and it has done wonders for Enzo Maresca's standing as head coach after a challenging first year. Maresca has seemed on dodgy ground at times. He wobbled during a difficult spell after Christmas and has not found it easy to convince match-going fans to embrace his patient, positional football. The players, though, are different. Maresca clearly has total buy-in from the squad. 'He is building something special,' Palmer said after leading the destruction of PSG with two goals and an assist for João Pedro before half-time. 'He's a top coach,' Malo Gusto said before the final. 'He's always watching his next opponent and doing analysis. That helps us.' Maresca's plan was perfect against PSG. Chelsea were coherent and disciplined. 'The first 10 minutes, the team was there to showed that we were there to win,' Maresca said. Chelsea were physical from the start. They went direct, beating Luis Enrique's ferocious pressing system, and targeted PSG's left flank. 'That's where we tried to win the game,' Maresca said. 'But you can give the players a plan – in the end it's them who have to execute it.' Chelsea delivered, the collective combining to create conditions for Palmer's quality to shine. It should do wonders for their confidence. They are back in the Champions League after a two-year absence and will believe they can compete with the best after doing to PSG what the French club have been doing to everyone else in Europe during the past eight months. This is a project moving in the right direction. Palmer is the jewel in the crown – incredibly he was unwell last week but still left PSG feeling under the weather – but it is a team effort. The work conducted by the recruitment team of Paul Winstanley, Joe Shields, Laurence Stewart and Sam Jewell cannot be overlooked. They have faced external criticism but will earn more respect after this triumph. The question is whether Chelsea can push on. They were reluctant to say that they were challengers last season, even when two points off the top just before Christmas. But something shifted when they got over the line during the run-in and finished fourth. Champions League qualification gave them belief; thumping PSG enhances it. 'I said at the start of this tournament that our plan is to win it and people looked at me as if I was crazy,' Levi Colwill said. 'I'm going to say the exact same thing now going into the Premier League and Champions League. I think we're ready.' Chelsea look stronger. João Pedro has transformed the attack in the space of two weeks, impressing with his pressing, mobility and link play. Maresca has options. He was able to bring on Liam Delap against PSG and use the striker's pace on the break. Chelsea have different modes of attack. They can counter with Pedro Neto's pace on the flanks. Jamie Gittens and Estêvão Willian are joining and will provide more depth on the flanks. Another positive from the tournament? Estêvão proving he can take on English defences by scoring against Chelsea in his final game for Palmeiras. The unknown is whether Chelsea are going to be more adept at breaking down low blocks. There was space against PSG but other sides will not be as accommodating. Chelsea are going to come up against a lot of deep defences. It is partly why João Pedro has been signed; Maresca regards the Brazilian's versatility as a way to unlock tight games. Enzo Fernández's development as a box-crashing midfielder is another plus. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion There will be challenges, not least when it comes to dealing with the physical impact of the Club World Cup. Chelsea have three weeks off before returning for pre-season and host Crystal Palace in their opening Premier League game. It is hard to know how this plays out. They could use the positive vibes to hit the ground running but there may come a point when they crash. Or they may start slowly and find themselves in another battle for the top four. The additional demands of an expanded Champions League further complicates matters. Chelsea were able to rest their A‑listers in the Conference League but that is not an option this time. It is acknowledged that Maresca needs cover for Marc Cucurella at left-back. But the squad does not need a lot of work. It is said that Robert Sánchez is not a title-winning goalkeeper but he was outstanding against PSG. There has been a lot of talk about a new centre-back but Chelsea gave away little against Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. There is depth in a lot of other positions. Not that it will be quiet before the window shuts. Chelsea's bank balance has been boosted and they are nothing if not afraid to trade. Noni Madueke is going to Arsenal and another attacker could be targeted if Nicolas Jackson or Christopher Nkunku leaves. Tyrique George has a lot of wingers in front of him. Chelsea have been fined by Uefa for breaching financial fair play rules and must generate positive income if they are to register new players in their Champions League squad. The goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is joining Bournemouth for £25m. Chelsea have outcasts to sell; plenty of ways to bring in money. Buyers must be found for Raheem Sterling, João Félix, Axel Disasi and many more. That element of the approach led by Clearlake Capital, the club's majority owner, leaves some observers cold. It is important that Chelsea embrace stability and keep the core group together. 'We've got the best players in our team, young players, and that's our plan: to win the biggest trophies for Chelsea,' Colwill said. 'No matter what, we've got to stick together.' He was on top of the world. Chelsea have no intention of crashing back to earth. They think this is just the beginning.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Isla Fisher narrowly avoids ex Sacha Baron Cohen at Wimbledon as she arrives with her brother after finalising divorce
Isla Fisher narrowly avoided ex-husband Sacha Baron Cohen at Wimbledon on Sunday as she arrived alongside her older brother Daniel - after finalising her divorce. English actor Sacha, 53, was seen chatting to a guest in the stands during the Gentlemen's Single Final at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Isla, 49, and Sacha, who met in 2001 and wed in 2010, announced they had finalised their £120million (approximately $250million AUD) divorce on June 14. In a message posted simultaneously on both their Instagram sites to confirm their divorce, the pair said: 'Our divorce has now been finalised. 'We are proud of all we've achieved together and, continuing our great respect for each other, we remain friends and committed to co-parenting our wonderful children. 'We ask for the media to continue to respect our children's privacy.' They were believed to have one of the strongest marriages in showbusiness before quietly separating in 2023. They then publicly announced their break-up in April 2024, and it now appears they have amicably resolved any differences. A source said: 'It's all sorted. Now Sacha and Isla both just want to get on with the rest of their lives and focus on their family's well-being.' The pair announced their separation last year with a picture of themselves wearing tennis whites. They confirmed in an accompanying message: 'After a long tennis match lasting over 20 years, we are finally putting our racquets down.' In an enthralling four-set encounter, Italian player Jannik Sinner defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win the first Wimbledon title of his career. The Australian actress had her brother on her arm at the Champagne Lanson event at Agapanthus Suite. She also has another brother called Edward. Isla was glowing as she posed beside him, who warmly rested his arm around her waist as the pair beamed for photos against the media wall. The star added a pair of white leather high heels in a patent finish and sported a pair of designer sunglasses, while carrying a wicker purse Isla opted for a cream ensemble which included a blouse worn under a blazer and a matching pleated midi-skirt. Her handsome brother coordinated with Isla, wearing a white shirt with a cream suit and a pair of trainers. The duo stuck close together at the event, and were also seen arriving together with Isla walking a little in front of her pal. Isla was also the picture of happiness last week as she stepped out looking glamorous in a busty floral dress for day one of the Wimbledon Championships. Isla and Sacha - who have three children together - first met at a party in Sydney, Australia, in 2001. Speaking of their first encounter, Sacha recalled quickly noticing Isla was 'hilarious'. He remembered: 'We were at a very pretentious party, and me and her bonded over taking the mick out of the other people at the party. I knew instantly. I don't know if she did,' he added. Speaking earlier this year of their break-up, Isla said: 'It's the most difficult thing that I've been through and I've learnt so much about myself in the process. 'I never imagined my family being separated but we are committed and loving parents.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Trump's presence at Chelsea's trophy lift was a fitting coda to a misguided tournament
For the first four weeks of the 2025 Club World Cup, there had been the danger that the tournament would soon be largely forgotten. There is no danger of that after the final. There had been unease after the 2022 World Cup final at the way Qatar inserted itself into the trophy presentation by draping a bisht over Lionel Messi, but at least the Emir kept his distance. Donald Trump, by contrast, placed himself front and centre of the celebrations – and he was soon joined by the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, who has a pathological fear of missing out, and must follow his great ally in all things. And so we were presented with a grimly perfect image of this misguided tournament, a celebrating football team struggling to be seen from behind the politicians who took centre stage. The confusion of Cole Palmer and Reece James at Trump's continued presence was clear. History, and not just football history, will not forget such shameless grandstanding, or Fifa's complicity in allowing football to be hijacked by a national leader. It was a day the ramifications of which will be sifted for years. As a footballing spectacle, it was remarkable, a game in which Palmer produced a performance to elevate him to global stardom, in which Robert Sánchez did much to quiet his many critics, in which Enzo Maresca announced himself as a tactician of the highest rank. There had been plenty of intrigue earlier in the tournament – Al-Hilal's last-16 victory over Manchester City and Real Madrid's capitulation in the semi-final perhaps most notably – but they had always been undercut by doubts as to how seriously each side was taking it. But PSG's determination to add the world title to the Champions League crown they won in May was obvious and, in the final, they were outplayed to a startling degree. Luis Enrique's side had essentially been untouchable since the turn of the year, not just winning games but looking sharper than opponents, on another tactical level. They had outclassed Madrid in the semi-final to the extent that the game was done within 20 minutes. Yet the final was lost by half-time as their left flank was repeatedly over-run. Khvicha Khvaratskelia, whose defensive work is usually so striking, didn't make a single tackle or interception (PSG's front three as a whole managed just one regain between them) and Fabián Ruiz was bypassed so that Nuno Mendes, who for a year has seemed obviously the best left-back in the world, was repeatedly exposed, sometimes to Malo Gusto but sometimes, more dangerously, to Palmer. Palmer produced one of the great final performances, scoring the first with a great finish, the second with a great finish after a dummied pass of almost comical effectiveness and then setting up the third with a barrelling run and perfectly calibrated pass for João Pedro. Perhaps PSG were disadvantaged by having played in the second semi-final; perhaps in the extreme heat an extra 24 hours of rest makes a huge difference. Still, it's been a long time since anybody has taken Luis Enrique's PSG apart like that – even if it took two exceptional saves from Sánchez to prevent PSG getting a second-half goal that might have made the denouement more anxious than it was. There have been plenty who have doubted Maresca's tactical approach, his apparent over-caution, his obsession with avoiding risk. But on Sunday, he clearly got the gameplan right. Using Pedro Neto as an auxiliary wing-back helped negate the forward surges of Achraf Hakimi but it was on the other flank, the way space was created for Palmer, that the game was won. These were moments that will define careers and, in so doing, offer legitimacy and prestige to the Club World Cup. As world champions, after a performance like that, with a squad of such depth, Chelsea have to be considered serious contenders for the Premier League title. But in the end, the football seemed an afterthought. There is always something uncomfortable to the European mind in the militarism of US sporting fanfare (which has begun, regrettably, to seep into the FA Cup final). Why was the Star-Spangled Banner played before kick-off? When has the host's anthem ever previously been played like that at a Fifa event? Why was there a fly-over of military planes? Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion By the trophy presentation, that had become something much more sinister. Was the US hosting football, or was football hosting the US? Or rather a particular vision of the US represented by Trump? Fifa has just opened offices in Trump Tower: Infantino's alliance with the president is both committed and alarming. And having pushed through his vision of the Club World Cup with all its flaws without meaningful consultation, what next for Fifa? Checks and balances simply don't apply any more. This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@ and he'll answer the best in a future edition.
