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

#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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