Chelsea’s youthful squad is aiming for a spot in the Club World Cup final as they face off against Fluminense in the semi-finals on Tuesday. The Brazilian side is captained by former Blues defender Thiago Silva, who remains impressive at the age of 40.
Silva was already an established player when he joined Chelsea in 2020, going on to enjoy a remarkable four-year tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs of his generation, Silva made the move to Chelsea after an illustrious eight-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain, clinching the UEFA Champions League in his debut season with the London club.
During his time at Chelsea, he played 155 matches and departed a year ago, having played a pivotal role in nurturing some of the young talents who now regularly feature under coach Enzo Maresca.
“He’s a legend of football, a top player,” said Marc Cucurella, who played alongside Silva for two seasons. He noted that the two had exchanged messages ahead of their upcoming match.
“We have the chance to face him again, and hopefully, we can achieve great things by winning this game and reaching the final.”
Silva first rose to prominence at Fluminense, being part of the squad that reached the Copa Libertadores final in 2008, only to lose to Ecuador’s LDU Quito.
After leaving Chelsea, he returned to the club, donning the green, red, and white of the Rio de Janeiro side, who triumphed in the Copa Libertadores in 2023.
The seasoned Brazil international was reunited earlier this year with Renato Gaucho, the coach from 2008, who is currently in his sixth term at the helm.
Fluminense’s impressive journey in the Club World Cup has seen them hold Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, defeat Inter Milan in the round of 16, and overcome Saudi giants Al Hilal in the quarter-finals.
“If you had asked me beforehand whether we would have gotten this far, I would have said we were a long way off,” Silva told DAZN following the victory over Al Hilal.
“We’re aware of the financial prowess of these teams; the gap is enormous, absurd. Yet, our unity and the familial atmosphere we maintain provides us with strength we may not realise we possess.”
More Brazilian Opposition
Fluminense isn’t just Silva elevating the team’s average age; they also have 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio, 35-year-old wing-back Samuel Xavier, and 37-year-old Argentine forward German Cano.
However, it’s the 27-year-old Colombian winger Jhon Arias who adds an essential spark, undoubtedly among the standout players of the tournament.
“I’ve watched several of their matches, and you can tell they are very well organised with some exceptional players. The manager is doing a fantastic job,” Maresca commented, preparing to confront Brazilian opposition for the third time in the tournament.
They faced a defeat against Flamengo in the group stage but managed to defeat Palmeiras in the quarter-finals held in Philadelphia.
“The energy from Brazilian teams in this competition has been significant—likely because they are at the beginning of their season while ours has concluded,” Maresca added.
Chelsea will experience the MetLife Stadium for the first time, a colossal venue with a capacity of 82,500 located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York City.
Many of Maresca’s players might have been uncertain about FIFA’s new tournament format, which comes at the end of a season where they finished fourth in the Premier League and secured the UEFA Conference League title.
Now, they’re just one match away from the final, where they could meet either Real Madrid or PSG.
With Silva no longer on the squad, Maresca has been guiding a youthful team at Chelsea; the average age of his starting line-up against Palmeiras last Friday was only 24.
There are more young talents joining as well, with 23-year-old Brazilian forward Joao Pedro, a former Fluminense player, making his debut in the quarter-finals.
Brazilian prodigy Estevao Willian, 18, will join ahead of next season from Palmeiras, and 20-year-old winger Jamie Gittens has recently signed from Borussia Dortmund.
The midfield cornerstone, Moises Caicedo, still only 23, will be back in action against Fluminense following a suspension.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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