Ahead of our Club World Cup opener against Los Angeles FC, we sat down with Enzo Maresca for an exclusive two-part interview. In our second piece, the Blues head coach discusses the unique challenges this summer's tournament poses, the impact of our new arrivals, and his pride at leading the club on the international stage.
The FIFA Club World Cup makes this summer one of firsts for Chelsea. There are new opponents to face and new challenges to overcome. Yet the standards expected by Enzo Maresca remain the same: the Blues are in the USA to win.
'It does not change for us,' the Blues head coach explains from our team hotel in Philadelphia. ‘When you are the Chelsea head coach or if you are a Chelsea player, you must always try to win. It doesn't matter if it's the Club World Cup or another competition – that is what is expected.
'I feel proud [to lead Chelsea into the Club World Cup]. It is the first and everything is new for us. So we must adapt as quickly as possible to make sure we are ready.
'At this moment [in the year], the players are normally away enjoying their holiday and recovering energy. That is not the case because we are here to try to win. We can rest after the Club World Cup!’
The Blues landed Stateside on Friday and got to work on the grass on Saturday morning. All those named in our Club World Cup squad were involved, including new arrivals Mike Penders, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo and Liam Delap.
That quartet – and the returning Gaga Slonina and Andrey Santos – have added a new dynamic to the first-team group. And Maresca has been impressed with the latest additions to the squad.
‘New faces, good players, and a new energy,' the Italian says. 'I know Liam well from my time at Manchester City and we worked together really well for one year.
'I know Andrey Santos from pre-season last summer, as we worked a little bit together, and he had a fantastic season at Strasbourg, Mamadou Sarr exactly the same.
'Dario Essugo, I have a good feeling about him, and he is working well with us. And Mike Penders is also another talented player.'
Our second training session in the USA took place this morning at our base on the outskirts of Philadelphia. The Blues will then depart for Atlanta ahead of our tournament opener, which sees the Blues take on Los Angeles FC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
We have never previously faced the MLS side; a small piece of Chelsea history will be written. Yet Maresca believes there will be a level of familiarity when the two sides take to the pitch.
He says: ‘When you watch games from across the world, you can see how football has evolved. Technology means everyone can watch and analyse games, no matter what country you are in. Many teams are trying to do the right things and play good football.
'So the influence changes. For instance, we face a coach on Monday who always played in Germany. Then we will face a coach from Brazil who spent many years of his career in Spain. So in football it is one world and I think we will see that this summer.'
Chelsea's opening game against LAFC kicks off at 8pm UK time on Monday. You can watch that and every other game at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 live for free by signing up with DAZN here.