Maresca pushes Palmer for more creativity after Chelsea’s Club World Cup victory

Chelsea began their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over LAFC in Atlanta — their first match since lifting the initial trophy of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era.

Enzo Maresca revealed his conversation with Cole Palmer about the importance of initiative in the game. This follows Palmer’s comments last month stating he was “sick of going backwards or sideways” during the Conference League final.

“I had a conversation with Cole and told him I really like the way he takes responsibility and initiative with the ball,” said Maresca. “I asked him why wait so long to do it — why not from the first minute?”

Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the 34th minute from Nicolas Jackson’s assist, before Enzo Fernández doubled the lead 11 minutes from time thanks to Liam Delap’s contribution.

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, attended by only 22,137 spectators, created a subdued atmosphere. Chelsea will face Flamengo in Philadelphia next Friday — a match expected to bring a different atmosphere with larger Brazilian support presence.