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The 2018/2019 group stage of Europe's second-tier club competition kicked off on Thursday, with 48 clubs beginning their quest to triumph in the tournament.
Though not as valued as its more glamorous sibling, the Europa League is still a prestigious competition in its own right and represents the only shot at European glory for some of the smaller clubs, as well as automatic qualification and top seeding in the next UEFA Champions League.
Most of the 48 clubs are seasoned Europa campaigners, as their relatively small stature compared to the bigger European teams makes the Champions League a step too high for them. However, a select few are more accustomed to challenging for the Champions League and only find themselves in the Europa League due to some unfortunate circumstances.
One of the clubs in the latter category is Chelsea, with The Blues representing the top echelon of European club football. They are one of the most successful clubs in recent seasons, winning a plethora of domestic titles, and triumphed in the UCL in 2012 and Europa League a season later.
Last season, internal wranglings between the board and manager Antonio Conte as well as reported clashes between the Italian and some of his players led to a woeful underperformance by the Londoners just a season on from winning the Premier League, and led to the dismissal of Conte, with The Blues finishing in fifth place thus failing to qualify for the UCL.
Even though Chelsea would rather be testing their might with the continent's finest, the fact that they would not contest in the UCL for at least another season means that they must make the most of their present situation and go all out in the competition. Here are four reasons why Chelsea would win the Europa League.
#4 They are the best club in the competition
Chelsea's status as one of the biggest clubs in the world sees them rightly installed as the favorite to win the competition, as they are so far ahead of the other 47 teams in terms of pedigree that it is hard to see beyond them as winners of the tournament.
The 2017 Premier League winners were drawn in the same group as Videoton, Bate Borisov and PAOK, and with all due respect to the trio, none of them is anywhere close to the level of Chelsea. Elsewhere in the competition, the story is the same, and the closest teams to Chelsea in terms of pedigree and caliber of players are Arsenal, Marseille, and Lazio who are still some way off The Blues.
More often than not, favorites for tournaments usually prevail in the competition, and like recent years in 2017 and 2018 where Manchester United and Atletico Madrid's class shone through en-route lifting the competition, Chelsea's superior ability could see them hold aloft the Europa League at the Baku Olympic Stadium come May next year.
#3 It represents the best opportunity for Champions League qualification
Increase in revenue from Television rights and merchandise sales means that Premier League clubs are richer than at any other point in history, and have more funds to purchase the best players across the world.
The concordant effect of this is that the competition for top places in the league is tighter than ever, as hitherto non-challenging clubs such as Tottenham and Manchester City now find themselves firmly established in the upper cadre of Premier League football.
Indeed, Arsenal found this out the hard way, as they failed to finish in the top four in the last two seasons, having made it in each of the previous 21 consecutively. Also, heavyweights Manchester United have not won the league since 2013 and missed out on Europe's top competition three times in the last five years.
With competition for Champions League qualification as stiff as ever, Chelsea could use the Europa League as an avenue to make it to the UCL by winning it, in the same way, that Manchester United did in 2017 despite finishing 6th in the league.
#2 Sarri would be desperate to lift his first trophy as a manager
Italian manager Maurizio Sarri was announced as the replacement for compatriot Antonio Conte after the former Juventus manager was sacked by the club, and while the 44-year-old departed with a boosted CV having won numerous domestic titles across two major leagues, Sarri arrived with a sparse one and nothing on it.
The 51-year-old Sarri begun making a name for himself in Italian football after guiding Empoli to the promotion and keeping them in Serie A, and he further enhanced his stock with his managerial performances as Napoli manager.
Under him, the Partenope was widely praised as one of the most exciting teams in Europe, with some of the most revered minds in football such as Pep Guardiola and Johann Cruyff giving him accolades.
Sarri's tactical acumen is among the highest in the world, while his aesthetic style of play is also pleasing to the eye, but ultimately all these amounts to nothing, as at the tail end of it, all that matters is trophies won as a manager.
After coming so close to ending the club's 28-year wait for Scudetto glory with Napoli last season, Sarri would set out to boost his CV by getting his hands on a trophy, and the Europa League represents an opportunity for that.
#1 The squad players would be out to prove a point
Chelsea's participation in multiple competitions means that coach Sarri would make a priority of rotating his key players to avoid burn out towards the business end of the season.
The Blues have a very large squad, so this offers an opportunity for squad players such as Cesc Fabregas, Davide Zappacosta, Andreas Christensen and Alvaro Morata to get a run of games which would otherwise have been impossible were it not for the Europa League.
Most of Chelsea's second team are elite players who only find themselves on the bench due to intense competition for places, hence they would be keen to put up emphatic performances in the Europa League and give Sarri reasons to include them in his plans.
The determination to excel in the Europa League by the squad players is a factor which could propel Chelsea all the way in their quest for glory in the competition.
