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Nevin surprised by Chelsea's young stars on world stage
- Former Chelsea winger made 193 appearances for the club between 1983-88
- Nevin was part of Scotland's Euro 92 squad and is a regular English Premier League analyst on the BBC
- 61-year old believes young Blues set for toughest test in Club World Cup final
Before a ball was kicked at the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ this summer there were only four sides (Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern München) that were shorter odds than Chelsea FC to lift the trophy. It should not come as a massive shock then, that Enzo Maresca’s side have navigated their way through to the showpiece final against Luis Enrique’s UEFA Champions League winners on Sunday.
For former Blues winger Pat Nevin however, the West London side have caused something of a stir in going as deep into the contest as they have.
“I think it is a surprise that Chelsea made it to the final,” Nevin told FIFA. “I wouldn’t have thought they would have got there with teams like Bayern München, Real Madrid, PSG and Atletico Madrid being involved. But the draw was kind.
“It was still a big ask for Chelsea. They’ve had a decent campaign getting top four in England but they’re not Champions League winners - they won the Conference League. They’re still a work in progress, they’re still young, so in that regard it is a surprise.”
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With the moniker of ‘world champions’ on the line, this final may already present a seminal moment for Maresca, who has only had his feet under the desk at Stamford Bridge for just over a year and for a team that, as Nevin pointed out, is crammed with fledgling talent. After all, the average age of Chelsea's starting XI in the Premier League this season was 24 years and 36 days - the youngest ever in the competition.
If the Blues babes are to lift the trophy they will have to take down a Paris Saint-Germain side that have made light work of dispatching Madrid giants Atleti and Real as well as Bundesliga champions Bayern Munchen along the way. Nevin is well aware of the challenge the current kings of the continent pose but knows that his old side are themselves moving in a positive direction.
He added: “I think actually beating PSG is more important than winning the tournament in regards to Maresca and how far he’s taken this team.
“PSG are spectacular, they are off the scale. If you manage to beat them when they are firing on all cylinders, that’s a hell of a lot of cylinders! So it would be massive. The biggest thing with this side is the ideology - it’s a change football has been waiting for.
“In the end for Chelsea though, if they don't win, it’s no big problem because quite clearly there is an upwards trajectory. You can see where they’re going and you can understand what they’re trying to do but they’re not there yet. Even if they do win this competition I still don’t think they’re there yet. But they are improving slightly faster than I thought they would.”
It had been levelled at Chelsea in the past that improvements may be needed in the striking department to propel this side to domestic success. Finding the net doesn’t, however, appear to be an issue at the Club World Cup, with ten different players having at least once in the US.
The mid-tournament arrival of Joao Pedro may also be the spark that gives Chelsea a fighting chance against the French heavyweights. After a cameo in the quarter final win over Palmeiras the 23-year old announced himself to the world with a spectacular double against his former side Fluminense and, in doing so, became the first player since Michy Batshuayi in 2016 to bag a brace on his first start for the club.
“Is Joao Pedro the missing piece of the jigsaw? He’s one of them,” Nevin concluded.
“I think it would be really tough on Nicolas Jackson. He has immediately gone from number one to number three (behind Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, another new recruit) and that’s hard because you don’t need three, you need two centre forwards. But Joao Pedro is an upgrade, I don’t think there is much doubt about that.
“If you look at the percentages of the chances that he’ll get at Chelsea compared with Brighton he’s going to score a lot of goals.”
Whether this is a team for the future or for the here and now, Sunday’s mammoth clash at the MetLife arena will certainly give us all a better understanding of the potential of this cast of exciting Chelsea talents.
