Three lessons learnt in Chelsea 2-1 Palmeiras: On top of the world!

3. Questionable selections and substitutions

Perhaps this writer is being a little nit-picky, but Tuchel’s selections and substitutions on the night were rather puzzling. First, the decision to give Edouard Mendy the start in the final must have been an incredibly harsh one for Kepa Arrizabalaga to take. It was less than four days ago when the Spanish goalkeeper’s saves against Al Hilal would prove crucial in preserving Chelsea’s slender 1-0 lead against the Asian Champions. To not play a part in a final he helped get his club to is thus as much of a slight to Arrizabalaga as it is a display of Mendy’s undisputed status as the No. 1 goalkeeper at the club.

Prior to Havertz’s eventual winner, Tuchel’s decision to start Mendy looked to have backfired as the Blues were left without their best penalty-saver between the sticks when Palmeiras was awarded a 64′ penalty. While the final result meant that the decision to drop Arrizabalaga was not going to be a major talking point, one certainly wonders if there will be an impact on the 27-year-old’s confidence, especially when accounting for his impeccable form over the last month or so.

Moving on to the substitutions, the decisions to take off Romelu Lukaku and bring on Saul Niguez (instead of Jorginho) are just two of the more perplexing ones made by Tuchel. These two decisions meant that, should the game have gone on to penalties, two of Chelsea’s best penalty takers would have found themselves on the bench and thus, unavailable for selection. Considering that the Blues’ 117′ winner came from a slightly controversial hand-ball penalty call, it had looked increasingly likely at that time that the winner of the 2022 Club World Cup was going to be decided via a penalty shootout. Imagine then if Chelsea went on to lose that penalty shootout without two of its best penalty takers. The backlash would have been immense.

Nevertheless, as is the case of whether Arrizabalaga would have saved the 64′ penalty from Raphael Veiga, we are dealing with hypotheticals here. What mattered the most on the night was that the Blues are now the Champions of the World. Nothing triumphs that addictive feeling of Chelsea Football Club being able to add yet another major trophy to its impressive collection.

What are some of your lessons learnt in the match? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!