Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca lashed out after a two-hour weather delay disrupted his team’s last-16 Club World Cup victory over Benfica on Saturday, suggesting the United States was not a suitable country for the competition – a year before it is due to host the men’s World Cup.

Chelsea beat Benfica 4-1 in extra-time to qualify for the quarter-finals after a game that ended four hours and 39 minutes after kicking off, following a two-hour interruption due to a storm warning.

It was the sixth time that a game was stopped at the 32-club tournament because of the risk of lightning.

“For me personally, it’s not football,” Maresca told a press conference. “I think it’s a joke. It’s not football.

“I can understand that for security reasons, you have to suspend the game. But if you suspend seven or eight games, that means that probably this is not the right place to do this competition.

“It’s a fantastic competition. It’s the Club World Cup, all the best clubs are here,” he added.

“But six, seven games suspended? It’s not normal. In a World Cup how many have they suspended? Probably zero. In a European (championship), how many games? Zero. There is some problem.”

FIFA, which organised the tournament, was not immediately available for comment.

Chelsea were 1-0 up when the players were asked to leave the pitch and play only resumed almost two hours later.

“The game was very good for 85 minutes, then we stopped for two hours, and when we started, it was a completely different game. It’s not the same game because you break the tempo,” Maresca said.

-Reuters

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Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique will face former protege Lionel Messi on Sunday in a Club World Cup clash at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium that pits the European champions against Inter Miami’s team of former Barcelona veterans.

The 54-year-old Spaniard, who led PSG to the Champions League crown in May, will now be tasked with confronting the same player who helped him secure nine major titles during their distinguished three-year association at Barcelona.

“I had the chance to coach Leo Messi at the peak of his game. But his peak has actually lasted 10–15 years or more,” Enrique told reporters on Saturday.

“That’s why I’d say he’s the best football player in history… I had the chance to win every possible title with him at Barcelona.”

However, the PSG coach warned there is more to Inter Miami than just Messi. “There’s no doubt whatsoever that they have the right skills and quality,” he added, noting that the American side’s lineup features former Barcelona players Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez.

Asked about neutralising the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, Enrique stressed a collective approach. “If we want to stop Leo Messi, we can’t rely on just one player because we’ll be dead. We need collective defence, he can dribble past any player.”

Despite being favourites, PSG remain driven after lifting the Champions League trophy. “We just won the Champions League, but we’re thirsty and eager to keep showing that there’s room for improvement,” he said.

“What better place to do so than here in this amazing stadium, facing a team that includes Messi?”

MASCHERANO READY FOR CHALLENGE

Luis Enrique also highlighted the involvement of former mentee Javier Mascherano as the opposing coach. “He has everything it takes to become a top coach. I’m not surprised because I knew Mascherano very well as a player. He has been ready for a long time,” he said.

Mascherano acknowledged the scale of the task facing PSG.

“We are not naive and we know that we are the weaker team, but that doesn’t mean that they will kill us beforehand. We will fight,” the Argentine manager told reporters.

“The challenge tomorrow is to test ourselves against the best team in the world. We know how difficult the match will be.”

The knockout encounter represents a significant test for both sides, with PSG seeking to add global honours to their European success while Inter Miami aim to prove themselves against elite opposition.

-Reuters

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The gulf between South American and European teams may not be as wide as expected at the Club World Cup, but a clear gap still exists in their efficiency in front of goal, according to FIFA technical experts.

Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, and Juergen Klinsmann, former Germany and U.S. national team coach, were speaking at a round table on Saturday as the tournament enters its knockout phase.

“At the start of the competition, many opponents seemed to fear playing against the European teams,” Wenger said.

“But as things progressed – especially the Brazilians – they began to realise it might not be so different after all.”

Flamengo and Botafogo beat European teams during the group phase of the 32-team competition, with the latter’s 1-0 victory over European champions Paris St Germain standing out.

Wenger said growing belief, especially among Brazilian sides, has shifted the dynamic heading into the last 16.

“Maybe it’s also because they’ve gained the confidence to do it. That shift in mindset could mean we’ll see a different Brazil in the knockout stage than we saw in the group phase,” he added.

The Frenchman highlighted the influence of Filipe Luis, whose Flamengo side showed what Wenger called the most European tactical profile among South American sides at the tournament.

“Filipe has … played in Europe, and you can see that in the way his team approaches the game,” Wenger said.

GAP CLOSING

Wenger and Klinsmann said South American clubs were quickly closing the gap in infrastructure and preparation.

“When we visited the teams, we saw delegations of up to 100 people – support staff, analysts, advisors,” Wenger said. “With squads of 23 to 35 players, these clubs are now fully professional in every department. That level of preparation allows teams to learn quickly.”

The key difference, however, remains in execution.

“In the final third, European clubs are simply more clinical,” Wenger said.

Klinsmann agreed, saying the real divide lies in mentality.

“Experience is also a big part of quality,” he said. “When is a club like Pachuca or Monterrey (of Mexico) playing in a tournament like this?”

Drawing on his time as U.S. national coach, Klinsmann stressed the importance of testing players outside their comfort zones.

“That’s why I always said, ‘Get us into Copa America. Get us into Europe’. That’s the kind of competition that develops a winning mentality,” he said.

“If this tournament were held again next year, Pachuca would be a different team – more confident, more refined.

“But they have to be more clinical. When you’re in the box, it’s your head that makes the decision, not just your feet. And that’s the difference.”

With the round of 16 underway on Saturday, analysts said the knockout stages would offer a clearer picture of how much ground South American teams have made up, tactically and psychologically.

“We might see very different attitudes now,” Wenger said.

Flamengo face Bayern Munich on Sunday and Inter Milan meet Fluminense on Monday.

-Reuters

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