Enzo Maresca and several of his players have been on media duties in the last few days preparing for today’s Club World Cup final, and we noticed some interesting discrepancies in their attitude tow...
Enzo Maresca and several of his players have been on media duties in the last few days preparing for today’s Club World Cup final, and we noticed some interesting discrepancies in their attitude towards the match.
Chelsea face a menacing PSG team who have swept all before them, both in the Champions League and now the Club World Cup. It’s a scary prospect, and we’re heavy outsiders with the bookies.
WATCH Chelsea vs. PSG in the Club World Cup final for free on any device with DAZN.
James bullish over Chelsea’s PSG chances; Maresca less so
Chelsea and PSG logos on shirts.
Despite the odds being quite literally against us, club captain Reece James has insisted that it’s a final, a one off game, and his team can beat anyone on their day:
“This game is a super high-level game. They are one of the hottest teams in the world at the moment, but this is a final. This is a one-off game,” James said to FIFA’s website.
“Everyone has them down as strong favourites, but I’ve been in many finals before where we’ve been favourites and we [didn’t] come out on top. So this doesn’t mean too much to me. And I don’t really care to be honest. Everyone is [talking about] our opposition, but we’ll prepare for them right and we’re going to win.”
Meanwhile Maresca had a far more negative outlook. When asked for his preview of the game, after outlining the opposition’s strengths, he meekly claimed “we’re gonna try our best.”
Not exactly Henry V, is it.
James and Maresca show interesting divergence in style and attitude
In the end, these words mean nothing compared to what actually happens out there on the pitch. But it does show an interesting divide between the manager and his captain over what to expect, and perhaps also how to approach games like this.
Category: General Sports
