As Chelsea return to London with a new trophy to shine to put into the traditional room at Stamford Bridge, players like Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Moises Caicedo need to start thinking about domestic challenges.
Becoming the first team to win the new FIFA Club World Cup means Chelsea have won every possible tournament at club level.
The Europa Conference League championship two months ago, when they defeated Real Betis in the final, completed the collection of the European Cup of The Blues. And at the FIFA Club World Cup, they have also won the championship in two different versions.
But Chelsea will start the 2025-2026 season without lifting the Premier League trophy since 2017. And only when they can do that can they return to their expected position.
Strangely, Chelsea have lifted all four of their European titles - Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup - in addition to two versions of the FIFA Club World Cup since they last won the English championship.
However, after spending more than £1 billion on new players since Todd Boehly took over in May 2022, it is time for Chelsea to show their strength at home. The club's owners can consider the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as the pinnacle, allowing Chelsea to assert themselves as world champions. And of course, coach Enzo Maresca also wanted to talk about the importance of this victory.
"I think the FIFA Club World Cup will become as important as the Champions League. And we consider this as a matter of concern as winning the Champions League," Maresca said after the win over PSG.
However, for Chelsea fans, the Premier League title is really important. Ask any fan in England, they all find winning a domestic league to be a top priority.
But the good news for Chelsea is that the victory over PSG - a worthy victory over the world's strongest team in the past 6 months - highlighted the potential of Maresca and his team.
After 3 years of spending money like water and buying and selling players continuously, Chelsea has finally built a good squad. The signing of Pedro from Brighton in the summer of 2025 could be a decisive signing, in addition to many available platforms. They only need time and patience to integrate.
Maresca has also dispelled doubts about his ability at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, showing tactical intelligence and being ready to change his approach when necessary. By bringing full-back Reece James into midfield alongside Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to deal with PSG's midfield of Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz, Maresca had a decisive move that led to victory.
Before the final, Maresca said he saw football as chess, in that you have to think and be smarter than your opponents. He did that against Luis Enrique, a coach who won the treble against Barcelona and PSG. If Maresca can overlook Enrique, it means he can do it against anyone else.
But winning the Premier League does not only require winning tactical battles against opponent coaches. The players also have to show their best and take responsibility on the field.
The Blues currently have an intelligent, practical coach, alongside a durable and effective midfield. Chelsea still have problems to solve in defense, but against PSG, Maresca's quartet and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez proved that they can maintain the game and concentration throughout the 90 minutes.
Overall, Chelsea have all the necessary elements to win the Premier League title. If they can maintain stability, The Blues will return to the championship race.
