PAOK 0-1 Chelsea - 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis

Chelsea begin their Europa League campaign with a win
Chelsea begin their Europa League campaign with a win

Chelsea flagged off their adventure in the Europa League this season with a comfortable win over PAOK FC at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki on Thursday. Maurizio Sarri's men dominated the game since the get-go and the score-line probably does not give a fair reflection of how the game panned out over the course of the 90 minutes as Chelsea were hardly made to sweat.

The Blues an early lead when Willian, who was given the captain's armband on the night, dispatched a driving finish that kept low and just about crept underneath Alexandros Paschalakis on it's way into the back of the net. The passage of play was quite simply magnificent from the visitors as Jorginho guided a one-touch pass into the path of Ross Barkley, who took a stride forward to stretch the PAOK back line before laying it off to Willian who rounded it off with his finish.

Chelsea continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession after the hosts offered them too much time and space on the ball to dominate the proceedings and take the sting out of the game.

Razvan Lucescu's Greek champions enjoyed a decent spell of possession in the final quarter of the game but it was probably a little too late as Chelsea held on for a crucial victory away from home to boost their credentials as favourites to progress from Group L. On that note, let's take a closer look at the major talking points from the Europa League clash at Thessaloniki.


#1 Early goal helps Chelsea dictate terms with comfort

Willian combined with Barkley to produce the only goal of the game
Willian combined with Barkley to produce the only goal of the game

It didn't take too long for Chelsea to get the upper-hand on the game as the intent was there to see for everyone from kick-off at the Toumba Stadium. Maurizio Sarri's men were constantly looking to push forward from the beginning and the fact that they started very strong brightened up their prospects early on.

Chelsea took a lead in the seventh minute through Willian in a move that quite comprehensively underlined their style of play under the new manager this year. The Blues were direct in their approach, and quickly shifted gears to almost make it look like they were dealing with a bunch of dummies in pre-match training in Thessaloniki, during the build-up to the opening goal.

Antonio Rudiger bypassed the midfield with a forward pass that Alvaro Morata played back for Jorginho, who effortlessly passed it on to Ross Barkley's stride as the Englishman took a neat touch before storming forward and finding Willian with plenty of time and space to pick out the perfect finish.

Chelsea were up and running inside the first few minutes and it helped them massively in terms of dictating the terms on the night, but at the end of proceedings, they will be disappointed with their output inside the final third during the entirety of the game.

#2 PAOK fail to do justice to the raucous atmosphere

The PAOK ultras made it a volatile atmosphere inside the stadium
The PAOK ultras made it a volatile atmosphere inside the stadium

A lot of the talk surrounding Chelsea's visit to the Toumba Stadium was about the explosive atmosphere that the home fans create during the big games, and how PAOK are yet to lose a single game against English opposition in European fixtures. The ultras turned up in style for their Europa League opener against Chelsea as they let off flares and waved their flags to rally the home side ahead of the clash.

However, the Greek champions managed to do very little justice to the fans who turned up in numbers and maintained peak decibel levels throughout the game as PAOK played catch up to Chelsea's possession based football. Razvan Lucescu's men allowed Chelsea way too much time and freedom on the ball instead of coming up with a reaction and the ill-effects were quite evident, at least until the hour mark, as the visitors stole a march on cruise control.

There was never really a dull moment in terms of atmosphere inside the stadium though as the home supporters made sure that their voices were heard when they rallied their troops throughout the game despite PAOK's inability to make things happen on the pitch.

#3 New manager but same old policy?

Sarri refused to introduce Ruben Loftus-Cheek during the game
Sarri refused to introduce Ruben Loftus-Cheek during the game

All of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi were named in the squad that traveled to Thessaloniki ahead of Chelsea's Europa League clash but none of them played a part against PAOK. It is quite understandable that Ampadu and Hudson-Odoi are probably there for the involvement with the first team rather than being actual options in games like, these but that's not really the case with Loftus-Cheek.

The 22-year-old, who impressed for England during the World Cup in Russia, decided to opt against forcing a way out of the club in the summer, in search of regular first team football, when he decided to fight for a place under the new manager at Stamford Bridge. However, Loftus-Cheek remained on the bench as an unused substitute during Chelsea's Europa League opener against PAOK and it only feels like his patience could run thin come January.

It was evident from Sarri's team selection that he rated PAOK as a genuine challenge and rightfully so, considering Chelsea were away from home, and it is still only their first game of a potentially long European campaign.

But at the same time it is hard to ignore the fact that warming the bench is not what the doctor would ideally order for a player of Loftus-Cheek's calibre at this stage of his career, where he should be getting enough minutes under his belt to develop further and fulfill his glaring potential.

#4 Alvaro Morata is on a knife's edge at Chelsea

Morata had a poor outing and it did not come across as a surprise
Morata had a poor outing and it did not come across as a surprise

There is not a lot more to say about Alvaro Morata and his life at Chelsea so far and it is perhaps the perfect testament to how his career has developed over the years. A promising start that spiraled down into an abyss of disbelief and unfulfilled potential that has earmarked the Spaniard as hefty disappointment at Stamford Bridge.

Morata's performance against PAOK was largely uninspiring and lazy to say the least, as he scuffed more than a few chances to extend Chelsea's lead on the night. It is safe to say that Olivier Giroud's performance against Cardiff City on Saturday has helped the Frenchman leapfrog Morata in the pecking order at Chelsea but the alarm bells have surely gone off now after this game.

The former Real Madrid striker looks like a shadow of the player he was during his time in Spain and it could well be down to morale or confidence but Morata should fathom the basic truth that he isn't doing much to help his cause either at Chelsea.

It only feels like Chelsea's big money signing is on borrowed time at Stamford Bridge and could well face the axe if he fails to overturn his poor run of form since what feels like an eternity.

#5 One man's loss is another man's gain

Pedro suffered a knock towards the end of the game
Pedro suffered a knock towards the end of the game

Chelsea might not have the greatest strength in depth within the Premier League but the competition for places at the club is still at a premium and you hardly see anyone complaining about it. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the regular involvement of Pedro this season, after his poor showing under Antonio Conte last year, but the Spaniard quickly stole a march on the pecking order ahead of Willian in recent weeks, courtesy of a strong pre-season and change in system under Sarri.

The winger is Chelsea's second highest goal-scorer in the Premier League so far with three goals and has enjoyed more playing time than Willian since the beginning of the season. Sarri opted to rest Eden Hazard, in a bid to keep him fresh for the trip to West Ham on Sunday, against PAOK and the decision presented an opportunity for both Pedro and Willian to feature together and outshine each other to try and cement their position in the starting eleven.

Willian grabbed the only goal in the game while Pedro started the second half brightly before suffering a knock in the dying embers of the game and it looks likely he will not be a 100 percent for Chelsea's Premier League clash on Sunday. It is true what they say, no matter how unfortunate, one man's loss is another man's gain!

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Edited by Ben Winfield