Gary Cahill hails importance of FIFA Club World Cup ahead of former club Chelsea's quarter-final clash

“I don’t really buy into the view that the Club World Cup isn’t viewed as being important by the players," Cahill said. 

"The reaction from the players when they’ve scored or gone through to the next round tells me they see this as a huge tournament – they haven’t been the reactions you see in pre-season friendlies.

“Financially, it’s huge for clubs as well. That can help with the transfer market, so I think it’s a great thing for clubs to be involved in.

“There’s been a lot said about the lack of breaks in the calendar for players these days but it was the same when I was in my mid-20s, which was over 10 years ago. For those playing in the big European finals like the Champions League and then playing for their countries, the breaks for players are naturally going to be less.

“The players in the Championship, for example, might get seven or eight weeks off after the season has ended but they’re not going to be playing against the likes of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in a Champions League final or going to a major international tournament.

“The players are managed so well now in terms of workloads and recovery but, ultimately, being a professional footballer at the top level is very demanding because of the number of competitions there are. 

“Everyone wants to be playing at the very top level and I think you’ve got to accept you’re not going to have very long off as a result.

“For me, it was as much about switching off mentally as it was getting a break physically. I can see why some might think the clubs not playing in the Club World Cup, like Liverpool or Arsenal, might have a physical advantage as they’ll have had a couple of months relaxing on the beach but it’s not as simple as that.

“For Chelsea and Manchester City, their pre-seasons will be more just building up from what they did at the Club World Cup and so they won’t need as long to build up their fitness as clubs that didn’t play in it will.”




Chelsea have also been able to showcase new signing Liam Delap at the Club World Cup and Cahill is excited about the new arrival. 

He believes that the 23-year-old could be the striker that his former club have been craving. 

Adding, "I’ve always said they needed a proper 20-goal-a-season striker and I think Liam Delap fits the bill perfectly. He looks great business to me and I think he’ll do really well at Chelsea.

“Cole Palmer has been the top goalscorer the last two seasons, and we all know how talented he is, but he’s a midfielder at the end of the day. Chelsea need a striker scoring the majority of their goals if they want to go to the next level.Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

“A striker that scores 20-plus goals a season is worth, I can’t tell you how many league positions… and that’s why they are so hard to come by." 

 

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