Fluminense – Chelsea: Joao Pedro Brace Powers Blues To Club World Cup Final (0-2)

Chelsea defeated Brazilian club Fluminense in the Club World Cup semi-final in New Jersey. A brace from new Chelsea signing Joao Pedro powered the Blues to victory as Fluminense were left chasing shadows. The win ensured Chelsea qualified for the Club World Cup final.

Tactical analysis and match report by Gaurav Krishnan.

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On a hot summer afternoon at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Chelsea made quick work of Brazilian side Fluminense. As the heat soared down onto the pitch, the Blues lined up against a Fluminense side determined to cause an upset, but that wouldn’t contrive to happen.

For the part of the Chelsea ownership, the Boehly regime has consistently struck gold with their signings from Premier League side Brighton. The signings of Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella, have both proved to be solid signings and the pair have impressed for Chelsea, forming the core of the Blues squad in the time since arriving from Brighton. And based on the evidence of this game against Fluminense, Chelsea’s latest raid of Brighton striker Joao Pedro seems to be already reaping rich dividends.

The phrase they use in Brazil is “lei do ex” which refers to the “curse of the ex-player” & it certainly played out that way. The Brazilian forward Joao Pedro who was playing against his old club whom he played for as a teenager, struck twice, once in each half to devastating effect with each goal, one for the cameras as they flew into the net. The first, an almost anti-curler from the edge of the box in the first half and a venomous strike in off the bar for his second on a Chelsea breakaway in the second half.

For all the talk about Enzo Maresca’s tenure as Chelsea boss, the Italian manager is certainly having the period of his career. Cast an eye back to April and the doubts kept swirling around his pedigree & management, but after securing fourth place in the Premier League, winning the UEFA Conference League, and now reaching the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, it seems like Maresca can do no wrong.

Fluminense for their part put in a spirited display but despite ex-Chelsea defender Thiago Silva commanding the side and clearing one Chelsea effort off the line, the quality of the Blues squad clearly was the difference between the sides. To add to that Fluminense fielded the oldest squad in this edition of the Club World Cup, including a 40-year-old Thiago Silva and a 44-year-old Fabio. However, the Fluminense veterans were undone by Chelsea’s young guns, with Christopher Nkunku being the oldest Cheslea player on the pitch at 27.

Joao Pedro got one and then another and apart from a chance for Fluminense cleared off the line by Marc Cucurella and a penalty shout in the first half, it was largely one way traffic in the game as the Blues asserted their control and dominance over proceedings.

Renato Portaluppi lined up Fluminense in a 3-4-1-2 formation. Fabio started in goal with a back three of Ignacio at right center back, Thiago Silva anchoring the defense and Thiago Santos at left center back. Hercules and Facundo Bernal anchored the midfield pivot with Guga at right wing back and Rene at left wing back. Nonato started in the number 10 slot with a front two of Jhon Arias and German Cano.

Enzo Maresca lined up Chelsea in a 4-2-3-1 shape. Robert Sanchez started in goal with a back four of Malo Gusto at right back, Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo at center back and Marc Cucurella at left back. The midfield double pivot was anchored by Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. Cole Palmer started on the right flank, Christopher Nkunku through the middle and Pedro Neto down the left while Joao Pedro led the line as the central striker.

Joao Pedro Powers Chelsea In Front

Chelsea in build-up transitioned from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-1-6. Cucurella dropped into the back three, forming a 3-1-6 with Caicedo as the single pivot. This allowed Fernandez to push forward alongside the attacking quartet creating a numerical advantage against Fluminense’s pivot. Gusto provided width on the right, while Neto tucked inside from the left, allowing Joao Pedro to drop deep and link play.

Out of possession, Fluminense dropped into a 5-2-3 or 5-3-2 in their OOP shape to form a compact defense. The back five led by Thiago Silva maintained a mid block to compress space but struggled with Chelsea’s movement between the lines. Guga and Rene tucked in to support the center-backs but this left gaps on the flanks that Palmer, Gusto and Neto exploited.

Minute 1’ Chelsea’s 3-1-6 build-up vs Fluminense’s 5-2-3 OOP shape.

The goal came early on in the 18th minute when Chelsea capitalised on a Fluminense error. Thiago Silva’s casual clearance of a Neto cross fell to Joao Pedro at the edge of the box. Joao Pedro took two touches, and curled a brilliant right-footed shot into the top right corner past Fabio. The goal came from Chelsea’s high press forcing a turnover and their ability to exploit spaces around the Fluminense back line.

Fluminense’s Response

Chelsea pressed Fluminense in a 4-1-2-3 shape high up the pitch. Chelsea’s front three pinned the Fluminense central defenders while the tactic remained the same to block out central passing lanes and to allow Gusto or Cucurella to jump when the ball went out wide to the Fluminense wing-backs.

Fluminense countered Chelsea’s press by having Thiago Silva play chipped diagonal passes from the back three to their high wing-backs Guga and Rene in an attempt to bypass the press.

Minute 4’ Chelsea’s press against Fluminense’s build up from the back. The Chelsea front three press the Fluminense center backs while Palmer and Enzo press their midfield pivot. Thiago Silva chips a diagonal ball from the goal kick to the wing back Rene bypassing Chelsea’s high-press.

This often triggered Chelsea’s full-backs Gusto or Cucurella to step up, frequently leading to turnovers due to Chelsea’s quick closing down. On rare occasions, Fluminense successfully connected these passes, allowing Nonato or Arias to exploit spaces left by Chelsea’s advancing full-backs. Chelsea pressed man for man higher up the pitch from with their 2-3 shape in the high press, with the Blues center backs also stepping up to duel with Arias and Cano while Caicedo handled Noneto.

Chelsea’s press & man-to-man marking against Fluminense’s 5-2-3 build-up

Fluminense responded at the other end after conceding in what was an interesting phase of the game. The Brazilian side responded in the 26th minute with a rare attacking move where Hercules beat Sanchez with a shot from a tight angle, but Cucurella’s goal-line clearance denied Fluminense & preserved Chelsea’s lead.

Fluminense, in the 36th minute were awarded a penalty when Chalobah’s arm blocked a cross, but referee Francois Letexier overturned the decision after VAR review, ruling that Chalobah’s arm position was, in fact, natural. This sparked frustration among the Fluminense players, with Silva engaging Letexier in a heated discussion at halftime.

Chelsea narrowly dominated possession with 55% vs Fluminense’s 45% at half time but it was the Blues who led at the break despite the goalmouth drama at the other end.

Joao Pedro Smashes In Another To Hand Chelsea The Game

Chelsea in their OOP shape reverted to a 4-4-2 mid block in the second half. Fluminense, however, couldn’t carve out any openings in what was a tight defensive structure employed by Chelsea.

Minute 45’ Chelsea begin the second half settling into their 4-4-2 OOP mid block.

It was certainly a day to remember for Joao Pedro on his first start for Chelsea against his old club Fluminense. On a Chelsea breakaway in the 55th minute Joao Pedro cut inside and unleashed a fierce shot which cannoned in off the crossbar to go into the Fluminense net. He refused to celebrate because of his ties with Fluminense, but it was certainly a moment to cherish for the new Chelsea signing from Brighton. He was shortly brought off after his goal as Nicolas Jackson replaced the Brazilian striker as Maresca also brought on Reece James & Noni Madueke for Gusto and Neto respectively.

As the game wore on, Fluminense made some changes and shifted to a 4-3-3 in possession while defending in a 4-2-4 defensive shape to try to regain possession and force turnovers & to attack in search of a goal.

Minute 79’ Fluminense revert to a 4-3-3 shape in possession in search of goals but Chelsea’s defense holds firm.

However, Chelsea’s 4-4-2 block held firm as Maresca resorted to his 3-2-5 in possession. After that, it was just a case of Chelsea managing the game, which they duly did. There were no notable chances for Fluminense as Maresca made further changes. There was a late chance for Chelsea to make it 3-0 on a breakaway but Jackson shot wide leaving Cole Palmer furious because the Chelsea forward didn’t pass to him for a tap-in.

Chelsea shifted to a 4-5-1 in the final minutes of the game, with Madueke and Palmer dropping deep to form a five across the middle & the Chelsea wing backs James and Cucurella maintaining shape. This ensured Fluminense’s late attacks were neutralised, with Chalobah and Adarabioyo winning crucial headers towards the fading embers of the game.

After that Chelsea duly saw out the game, knocking Fluminense out of the Club World Cup as the Blues advanced into the final.

Takeaways

Chelsea’s 2-0 victory was a testament to their tactical discipline and clinical finishing, with Joao Pedro’s brace sealing their place in the final. Maresca’s tactics were on-point & he didn’t have to tinker or think out of the box in what was business as usual for the Blues. Fluminense’s passive press and five man defense were exploited by Chelsea despite moments of resilience from the Fluminense defenders. The match showcased Chelsea’s ability to adapt after a long, gruelling season and challenging conditions in the US. However, the Blues executed their cohesive game plan while Fluminense’s dream run at the Club World Cup ended with pride but no reward in the end.

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