Club World Cup has been a joy and it could be game-changer for Chelsea and City
The Club World Cup has been such a different experience. And it feels like I am not allowed to admit this but I am enjoying this way more than I expected.
Yes, it's not been without major issues and problems. But it's been fun, entertaining and a real change of pace. Honestly, we can be so dismissive, so arrogant and so angry when anyone has the audacity to do something different. If we don't like it in Europe then it must be completely wrong and ill informed.
And you are absolutely kidding yourself if you think it does not matter to the clubs who are here. Chelsea and Manchester City can see the £97m prize money for the winners and that is a huge game-changer for them. Also, City boss Pep Guardiola is a born winner and anyone who thinks he does not want to win this is kidding themselves.
Now the players are here - and yes, many of them said publicly they have reservations - they are going for it and want to win. That is the nature of being a professional and reaching the top.
It has thrown up good games. City's demolition of Juventus was a really high quality game. The Brazilian clubs have been a revelation. Their fans even better. Paris Saint Germain were sensational in their 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid. And it was in front of 80,000 fans.
Yes, Chelsea's delayed game with Benfica has suddenly thrown up a different debate about weather issues and it will become an even bigger problem ahead of next summer's international World Cup. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca branded it a 'joke' and you can understand any manager, winning 1-0 with six minutes left, would be furious at the players being taken off the pitch for nearly two hours. They restarted, conceded and nearly blew it before winning in extra time.
That was the sixth game delayed by weather. FIFA may need to look and see if the safety protocols are over zealous ahead of next summer because if we get a thunderstorm in England then games do not stop. However, the weather can be extreme here.
But if, like me, you went downstairs into the concourse in the stadium in Charlotte then you would discover hundreds of fans completely used to such delays and they were relaxed and waiting patiently. It was a drag but no more.
What should we do? Stop playing sport in the US? And if I see one more piece of a journalist going into a bar and no-one knowing the 'soccer' was on. Come on. That's tired and cliched. They know as much as non-football fans in London don't care if a game is on or not.
The reality is that there was a paltry crowd for Chelsea's first game. But the attendances have been decent. Some crowds are half full and Charlotte's stadium was just over a third full.
But those who were there were in Chelsea shirts, they turned up, were loud and loved it. The knock-out phases now have Inter Miami against PSG plus other good stories and a potential all-Premier League semi final between Chelsea and City.
It has been well organised. The time difference has made it tricky to cover and, more importantly, harder to watch on TV in England. But I think it will get more viewers, more interest and more pick-up from here on in.
I love football so much that I would watch any game, any time and anywhere. I don't need much persuading to watch the world's best.
Yes, there are huge issues to overcome. The football calendar. Players are not being considered in this. The next one - and there will be one in 2029 without doubt - will have to find a different slot.
Why not scrap the June international window? Put it in there so players get a holiday afterwards.
This Club World Cup has been too spread out. The travel and planning blows your mind - and for fans it blows their budget, too. The simple solution would be to play it across three cities nearby in the US. For example, New York, Philadelphia and one other. Flying left, right and centre from Miami to wherever is no good for the environment and is a seriously bad look.
The crazy kick-off times. 12 noon in searing hot sun. That is just crazy. It's just too much. Yes, they are trying to make European TV schedules work, but it's just too hot and you are likely to see a bad game.
There are serious issues. But to blindly dismiss this is wrong. Just because it's different and new doesn't make it wrong.
I think there is something to work with and build on. And this has been an interesting and entertaining glimpse of the future.
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