Chelsea players are pushing themselves to the absolute limits to feature at the Club World Cup in the United States this summer.
Enzo Maresca’s side are coming off the back of a gruelling domestic season, which ended with a dominant victory against Real Betis in the Conference League final.
However, this is clearly going to result in fatigue, and has left Maresca threatening to break Club World Cup rules by mass rotating his side for games.
The Blues could not match the intensity of Flamengo in their 3-1 defeat last time out. The Brazilian side are midway through their domestic season, and are also far more used to the sweltering conditions in the United States.
Chelsea handed ‘Heat Health Emergency’ ahead of final Club World Cup group game
Both games Chelsea have been involved in have seen cooling breaks in both halves to try and combat the heat, however things could be about to get a whole lot more difficult for the Chelsea players.
According to the Mail Online, the City of Philadelphia have declared a ‘Heat Health Emergency’ for the coming days, a time period where Chelsea are set to lineup against ES Tunis in their crucial third group game.
The report goes on to say that a warning has been put out to avoid ‘working or playing in the hot sun’.
Fortunately for the Blues, their game is set to kick-off at 9pm local time, allowing them to at least hope that the temperatures will begin to drop.
Enzo Maresca’s rotation options
Maresca must rotate his squad to protect them despite how important the game against ES Tunis is. A point will be enough to see them advance to the Round of 16, where they will likely face Bayern Munich.
Tyrique George is waiting for his first start of the tournament, while Andrey Santos has had to wait patiently for any minutes at all in the competition.
The manager may take into account the amount of players who are just one yellow card away from being suspended for the potential Round of 16 tie.
Liam Delap is one booking away from suspension, which would be a nightmare scenario for Maresca given the fact that Nicolas Jackson is banned as well.
