‘They need a rest’: Chelsea Premier League winner Glen Johnson on the Club World Cup, Reece James and how Terry and Desailly kept him calm

Glen Johnson believes Chelsea’s young squad can emulate his Premier League win with the Blues next season – but the former England defender knows their Club World Cup campaign could take its toll on Enzo Maresca’s players.

The six-time champions have not mounted a credible title bid since their last triumph in 2016/17, with Maresca also facing the challenge of having little more than a month between the end of the competition in the US and the visit of Crystal Palace to kick off their top-flight schedule.

“It’s a good concept, from a fans’ perspective, when you’ve got the best teams in the world playing each other and you don’t normally get to see that,” Johnson says of Fifa’s expanded Club World Cup.

“As a player, you look forward to the summer because you need a rest to be able to cope with the demanding season coming, so to then go and have however many other competitive games when you could be having a rest doesn’t sit well.

“The games are so demanding and they play so many games of football now already. That with a major tournament coming up or something – when do the boys get to rest?”

Chelsea can challenge for Premier League – Johnson

Chelsea finished fourth in Maresca’s first season in charge, with a run of two wins in 10 league matches between December and February turning their strong start into a battle to qualify for the Champions League despite heavy investment.

“The biggest thing that let them down last year was consistency,” says Johnson, speaking via 888Sport.

“They put in some performances where you thought ‘bloody hell – they’re going to be tough to beat’, but then they’d go and lose a silly game, which you just can’t do if you’re going for the title.

“There were games I watched at the Bridge where I thought they were the best I’d seen in years, but then they’d go off the gas for the next game.”

John Terry: Chelsea legend ‘took pressure off’

Maresca has again had a busy summer off the pitch, including the signings of forward Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion for £60 million and winger Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund for up to £52m.

Striker Liam Delap arrived from Ipswich Town for £30m, while winger Estevao is about to complete a £52m move from Palmeiras and midfielder Dario Essugo cost £18.5m from Sporting, among a set of signings with a noticeable age profile.

“I like the fact that they’re happy to spend money on the youth, for the future,” says Johnson, who signed as an 18-year-old in 2003 and won the 2004/05 Premier League and EFL Cup during four years as part of a squad featuring the likes of legendary captain John Terry.

“At the same time, you need to have a balance with current players who can make you compete almost straight away. We had a hell of a lot more established players – most of the lads were already internationals.

“We were more skewed to big-name players, where you know what you’re getting. You’d have me being 18 and the others being around 25.

“You’re not so scared to make a mistake because you’ve got Marcel Desailly next to you or JT [Terry] or someone like that.

Happy birthday, JT! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/5AlRubByyK

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 7, 2018

“It’s not that you’re making game-changing mistakes, but it just takes some pressure off you a bit.

“They believed in you because they knew what you could do from training together. You wouldn’t be playing if they didn’t want or need you there.

“They were just able to keep you calm and stop you from getting too carried away. They’d stop you from getting excited and becoming too involved in attacks when we were winning 1-0 or things like that, just learning the game as you’re playing.”

Reece James: Injuries ‘soul-destroying’

One of Johnson’s successors at right-back for club and country, Reece James, is a player at high risk from the demands of the schedule following a string of injuries that have restricted the 25-year-old’s availability.

“He normally plays a few games and then his body lets him down,” observes Johnson, who understands James’ predicament. “He just needs to try to manage his body and get a bit of luck.

“When you’re coming out of the treatment room, firstly it’s hard to get match fitness. Then there’s building momentum. We all hate being in the treatment room, so you’re buzzing when you get out of it.

“To be back in there two or three games later is just soul-destroying. I did it many times – every time they said to me ‘this is going to be eight weeks’, I’d be trying to turn it into four or five, because you don’t want to be in there.

“You feel good, but when you’re doing the rehab you don’t push yourself as much as you do on a matchday – you can do it with the handbrake on, so to speak, and take your time.

“But then you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, and that’s when you can start getting recurring injuries. It’s because the lads want to be back playing.”

Club World Cup: Chelsea vs Fluminense

Chelsea face Brazilian side Fluminense in New Jersey in the Club World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday (20:00 BST), when a win would send them to a final at the same setting against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid on Sunday (20:00).

While the finals are hugely lucrative for the club, there has been plenty of debate around whether players are fully motivated to risk injuries at the end of a nine-month season in what has often been searing heat.

“You don’t want to [get injured] and be out for 10 weeks,” points out Johnson, whose achivements during his exceptional 16-year senior career included an FA Cup win with Portsmouth in 2008, lifting the EFL Cup with Liverpool in 2012 and going to two editions of the World Cup and Euro 2012 on the way to winning 54 caps.

“They’re not going to need pre-season because they won’t have long enough to get fit. It’s the same with friendlies – you don’t go 100% because you’re having them for a reason.

“To get fit, you push yourself at the right times. But at the same time, you’re thinking ‘this is not as important as the first game of the Premier League season’, and you need to be fit enough for that.”

Chelsea at the Club World Cup: Live stream, TV channel in UK

Live coverage of Chelsea’s semi-final is on DAZN, with their potential final on the platform and Channel 5.

DAZN Subscribers or Freemium member can tune in as part of their existing membership, while non-subscribers can register for a free account to start watching.

Fans can watch on the go via the DAZN and Channel 5 apps on smart TVs, phones, tablets, games consoles and streaming devices.

Chelsea Club World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders, Robert Sanchez, Gaga Slonina

Defenders: Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Aaron Anselmino, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Malo Gusto, Reece James, Mamadou Sarr

Midfielders: Moises Caicedo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Dario Essugo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos

Forwards: Liam Delap, Tyrique George, Marc Guiu, Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer

When does Chelsea’s 2025/26 Premier League season start and end?

Having qualified for the Champions League on the final day in 2024/25, Chelsea take on FA Cup winners Palace on the opening matchweek of the 2025/26 season.

The game at Stamford Bridge is at 14:00 on Sunday, August 17 and is live on Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and Ultra in the UK.

The last round of matches will all start at the same time on May 24 2026. No rounds will take place within 60 hours of each other and there will be no fixture on December 24.

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