Chelsea claimed three points against LAFC in their FIFA Club World Cup opener and it was another display of maturity, tactical clarity, and individual impact – this time with a few new names making their mark.

In a match where intensity occasionally trumped cohesion, Enzo Maresca’s side found key moments through late midfield runs, confident debutants, and a throwback striker performance.

Enzo Fernandez – The Difference-Maker yet again

Enzo Fernández. Have you noticed people talking about his price tag recently? Me neither.

He’s firing on all cylinders at the moment and becoming a real force.

It’s his intent that stands out most: the drive to arrive in the box at just the right moment.

He has tactical impact, passing ability, leadership but his intent to crash the box at every opportunity is impressive.

I hinted at a certain comparison in my previous article after the Conference League final where he did just that.

Super Frank is of course a club legend, perhaps our best ever player so I mean no general comparison – but Fernández is able to time his runs to aplomb much like Lampard always did.

If Fernández can continue that without sacrificing the rest of what he’s good at, we’re in for a good watch this season.

In his 36 Premier League appearances last season, he contributed 13 G/As – not bad.

Lampard averaged 13 in his first three seasons – if Fernández can emulate even half of what the club’s top goalscorer did, we’ll be delighted, regardless of transfer fee.

For what it’s worth, Lampard’s fee in 2001 adjusted for inflation today is estimated to be only £20 million.

Fernández is currently the only central midfielder in the squad who routinely arrives in the box, crashing into dangerous areas and demanding attention from defenders.

We’ve seen Dewsbury-Hall offer this in Europe, but that’s a different level. His future remains uncertain.

Moisés Caicedo is elite in what he does and rightly not expected to crash the box.

Perhaps with the addition of returning loanee Andrey Santos, Enzo may not have to shoulder that attacking burden entirely by himself.

Tidy and promising as he is, though, Santos has more often been deployed as a lone six/defensive midfielder.

There’s talk of him offering more in the final third, but it remains unproven in Maresca’s setup.

As PSG did with Hakimi in the Champions League final, Chelsea may use Cucurella’s underlapping threat similarly.

Relying on him to shoulder that responsibility centrally is arguably unsustainable if we want to push on from just scraping European qualification via the League.

In tight matches against stubborn Premier League defences, where chances are rare and space is earned, that extra runner can be the difference between a half-chance and a tap-in.

Youth, Bravery, and Vertical Progression

Caicedo’s 84th-minute withdrawal saw 20-year-old summer signing Dario Essugo take the stage.

The Portuguese midfielder signed from Sporting Lisbon wasted no time showing what he can bring even in a short cameo.

With one of his first few touches, he received the ball on the half-turn and played through pressure, embodying the principles Maresca demands.

This is no accident. Chelsea’s midfield under Maresca isn’t just there to shield or recycle.

It’s tasked with initiating attacks quickly, and centrally. Caicedo, Enzo, and even Cucurella have all shown they can break the first line with smart touches.

Essugo joined that list in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon and no doubt so will Santos.

Essugo’s cameo was encouraging not just because of his assurance, but because he looked like a Maresca player already – tactically engaged, press-resistant, and aggressively progressive – a great embodiment of what the manager demands from his central progressors. 

Many times we’ve seen quick one-touch central progression to players marked tightly yet with technical quality in abundance among all involved, the ball progresses through the first line and almost always ends in a chance for a forward to attack their man.

This is key to beating a mid-block and even some low-blocks.

Essugo not only provides cover for Caicedo who played every single league game last season – he can complement, not just cover, the club’s record signing.

And he wasn’t the only young player to catch the eye.

Delap is of the Diego Costa and Didier Drogba mould

Chelsea haven’t had a true aggressor up front in years. Nicolas Jackson is a tireless link-up man and creative outlet, but his finishing can be erratic.

Liam Delap might not be our Drogba-esque option just yet, but his raw edge brought something long-missing and that was apparent in just his first 30 minutes with the club.

He chased lost causes, bullied defenders, and looked to combine quickly exactly what Maresca’s system demands.

But beyond the physicality, what impressed was his understanding of the role.

“The good thing with him is he understands the way we want to play,” said Maresca post-match.

Delap might not be the finished article at just 22 years of age, but he’s already a useful tool.

Against physical opposition, or when the game needs disruption, his presence alone creates doubt. 

We also saw the former City U21 striker cause real havoc with his off-ball movement.

One standout example was his curved run towards a Cole Palmer progressive pass troubled LAFC’s defence, something incredibly useful against some of the more rigid Premier League defences.

That link-up with Palmer is reminiscent of their days together in Manchester City’s EDS academy sides.

Perhaps that link-up typifies Chelsea’s recent transfer policy with Joe Shields, Romeo Lavia, Tosin Adarabioyo, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and Jadon Sancho all having significant relationships with City in recent years.

Of course, thirty promising minutes cannot define a transfer policy but if Delap can fire cylinders and push Jackson to compete clinically, is Marc Guiu enough as a third option?

Do we need to splash the cash on another central attacker? Perhaps a goalscoring winger like the heavily-linked Jamie Bynoe-Gittens from Borussia Dortmund is more urgent.

No prizes for guessing which youth setup he came from…

Final Thoughts:

Chelsea’s win over LAFC wasn’t spectacular, but it was instructive.

It underlined several Maresca hallmarks: control through midfield structure and bravery under pressure above all else.

What’s quietly encouraging is that it was delivered not just by the usual core, but by fringe and emerging players in Essugo and Delap.

Cucurella continues to lead by example as the lone senior left-back in the squad.

Chelsea will be hoping Essugo and Santos can shoulder more responsibility- that of which Romeo Lavia’s injuries stopped him from doing.

We just need to look after Cucu with a left-back – if Renato Veiga accepts a rotation role, fine

If not, Ajax’s versatile left-footed defender Jorel Hato remains an intriguing option.

If the Club World Cup is a testing ground for Maresca’s evolving phase-two philosophy, this was another step in the right direction.

Our match-up with LAFC saw former Blue Olivier Giroud play against his old club, and next-up, Flamengo on Friday who have Champions League winner Jorginho on their books.