‘How many English players were playing?’ – Abel Ferreira has a dig at Chelsea after CWC final defeat
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Updated 13/02/2022 at 23:14 GMT
There were two Englishmen in Chelsea’s starting line-up in the Club World Cup final; Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount. This was in contrast to the nine Brazilian players in the Palmeiras starting XI, with Joaquin Piquerez (Uruguay) and Gustavo Gomez (Paraguay) the only two foreign players to start for Abel Ferreira’s side. Chelsea have now won every major honour possible since Roman Abramovich.
'How many Englishmen play for them?' - Ferreira questions Chelsea's authenticity
Palmeiras head coach Abel Ferreira had a dig at Chelsea for the lack of English players in their side following his team’s 2-1 defeat in the Club World Cup final.
Kai Havertz 117th-minute penalty in extra time was enough to give Thomas Tuchel’s side a dramatic victory, after Romelu Lukaku’s opener was cancelled out by Cavalcante Veiga’s penalty.
Ferreira was clearly not in the best of moods in his post-match press conference, after his team ended the match with 10 men following Garcia Teixeira’s sending off in the closing stages after Havertz’s winner.
He said in his post-match press conference: “Do you know why I’m sad sometimes?
“Do you know how many Englishmen started with the team? How many Brazilian men played in my team? It's food for thought for you.
“Sometimes people don’t understand that we are not on a level playing field. Now we’ve done a lot and we have a lot to be proud of. I don’t pass the buck to anyone, it’s always with me but it’s also about competence.
“That’s why I’m saying you have to ask our opponent how many English players are starting in Chelsea. I mean this is an English club all right? How many of them started with Chelsea?”
To answer Ferreira’s question, there were two Englishmen in Chelsea’s starting lineup – Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount.
This was in contrast to the nine Brazilian players in the Palmeiras starting lineup, with Joaquin Piquerez (Uruguay) and Gustavo Gomez (Paraguay) the only two foreign players to start for Ferreira’s side.
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Rudiger, Hudson-Odoi put dancing shoes on after Club World Cup glory
The Club World Cup success means that Chelsea have now won every major honour possible since Roman Abramovich’s takeover of the club in 2003.
Chelsea play their first match on English soil against Crystal Palace next Saturday, before continuing their Champions League defence against Lille three days later.
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