PSG star Marquinhos says Chelsea have a ‘big physical player’ who has really caught his eye
There will be an array of top-class players on the pitch during the Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
On Sunday, Chelsea face French giants PSG in the final of the Club World Cup, which is a summer tournament that has spanned almost an entire month.
There is no doubt that Enzo Maresca’s side go into the weekend’s showdown as underdogs against a formidable PSG outfit. However, it’s a great opportunity for the young Blues side to measure up against the reigning Champions League holders.
Even though the expanded 32-team competition has received mixed reviews from the wider football community, Chelsea were always taking the Club World Cup seriously because of the financial benefits. To date, Chelsea have banked roughly £86m en route to the final this summer.
Marquinhos calls Joao Pedro a ‘complete’ player
PSG captain Marquinhos, 31, has been speaking in a pre-match press conference ahead of the final.
He’s actually delivered some very high praise on Chelsea attacker Joao Pedro, who is someone he’s played with for the Brazil national side. The defender has been impressed by the 23-year-old’s impact so far at the Club World Cup, adding he’s a “big physical player” he will need to guard against in the final.
Marquinhos said via PSG’s official X account: “I already knew about the qualities of Joao Pedro, and he has had a chance to show that at Chelsea already because of the tournament that he is having. He is showing his qualities even more.
“There might be some doubts about the team, but I think he will definitely play because he scored two goals in the previous round, and if he is fit, he will play.
“We saw those qualities with the national team. He is a big physical player who is also technical and has very good movement. That is what makes a very complete striker. And that is why he has done well and performed well. Of course we will need to keep an eye on him as we do in every game.”
Pedro, who only joined Chelsea from Brighton at the start of July, has hit the ground running in his Blues career by making an immediate impact at the Club World Cup.
The South American forward impressed off the bench in the quarter-finals against Palmeiras. Afterwards, he made his mark in the semi-finals with two outstanding goals against Fluminense in a 2-0 win.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill admitted he didn’t realise how good Pedro actually was until he started training with him in the last couple of weeks. Well, he’s certainly introduced himself to everyone at the club in style.
Joao Pedro must start against PSG
Blues head coach Maresca does have plenty of exciting options in attack going into the PSG clash, but he needs to pick Pedro as part of the front three.
The summer signing dazzled as the central striker in the previous round against Fluminense, so there may be logic to keep him in that role again on Sunday. However, we wouldn’t be overly surprised to see the hard-working attacker show his versatility by moving over to the left wing.
Chelsea fans would like Liam Delap to start against PSG as the focal point in the centre-forward role, which would allow Pedro to play off of him.
It shouldn’t be understated how impressive it is that Pedro already demands a spot in the XI after only just arriving.
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