UEFA Champions League 2017/18, Chelsea 6-0 Qarabag: 5 Talking Points

Chelsea marked their return to the Champions League in style, thrashing Qarabag 6-0 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

A brace from Michy Batshuayi and goals from Pedro Rodriguez, Davide Zappacosta, Cesar Azpilicueta and Tiemoue Bakayoko secured three points for the Blues on their return to Europe’s top competition.

Qarabag were second best throughout as they struggled to cope with the multitude of threats posed by Antonio Conte’s men.

#1 Chelsea demonstrate their superiority as they ease to victory

Chelsea may have won their last three Premier League encounters, but they are still yet to get fully over their opening-day loss to Burnley. That 3-2 reverse was the type of shock that lives long in the memory, with questions duly raised about the Blues’ chances of retaining the title this term.

Qarabag are clearly not the sternest opponent around, but this thrashing goes a long way to confirm the suspicion that Chelsea’s defeat by the Clarets was a one-off, rather than a sign of things to come. Conte’s charges were back to their fluent best on Tuesday, dominating the game from start to finish and barely allowing their adversaries a sniff.

It is important not to read too much into this result, but at the same time, Chelsea deserve praise for successfully dispatching of Qarabag with a minimum of fuss. This victory was never in doubt – the Premier League champions utterly overwhelmed the visitors to Stamford Bridge – and it represented a perfect start to their Champions League campaign.

#2 Qarabag unable to prevent an onslaught

Qarabag couldn't deal with Chelsea's attacking firepower

Qarabag had their work cut out from the first whistle here, with damage limitations likely chief among manager Gurban Gurbanov’s priorities.

Sometimes, though, the opposition’s quality proves too much. Qarabag did land seven shots on Chelsea’s goal, yet it always felt as though the west Londoners were holding them at arm’s length. The hosts were never unduly stretched, and whenever they poured forward there was a good chance of a goal being scored.

Qarabag, in truth, have probably exceeded expectations even at this early stage, and a relentless Conte-coached Chelsea outfit are arguably the worst team to face early on. Nevertheless, they will need to do more if they are to have any chance of making it out of the group stage.

#3 Conte out to improve Champions League record

Despite returning Juventus to the pinnacle of Italian football and keeping them there throughout his tenure as the club’s manager, Conte failed to make much of an impression on the Champions League.

Granted, the Bianconeri were unfortunate to be drawn against eventual champions Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals in 2012/13, although supporters would have hoped to see their side put up more of a fight than they ultimately did in a 4-0 aggregate reverse. Yet the following season was an unmitigated disaster, as Juve failed to make it out of the group stage after winning only of six games against Copenhagen, Real Madrid and Galatasaray.

They were then relegated to the Europa League and, with the final set to be played at their home stadium, the Old Lady expected to go all the way; instead, they were knocked out in the last four by Benfica, who were later beaten by Sevilla at the showpiece event in Turin.

Conte’s record at the domestic level is outstanding, but he will be desperate to do better in the Champions League this year. While Tuesday’s triumph represents an excellent start, the Italian will be fully aware that stiffer challenges await.

#4 Can Qarabag reach the Europa League?

It's unlikely, but the best Qarabag can do is finish third in this group

No team enters a competition with the sole intention of making up the numbers, but it is fair to say that Qarabag are delighted to simply be part of the Champions League group stage for the first time in their 66-year history.

Even before the draw was made, the Azerbaijani outfit would not have realistically expected to make it into the knockout rounds; that task looks even tougher now, with Roma, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea representing a fearsome set of opponents.

The best Qarabag can hope for is a third-place finish and a place in the last 32 of the Europa League, although even that relatively modest ambition will be extremely difficult to achieve. The Horsemen were outclassed at Stamford Bridge and will similarly struggle to keep Roma and Atletico at bay. Stranger things have happened in football, but the odds are undoubtedly stacked against Qarabag in their debut appearance.

#5 Do Chelsea have the squad to compete on two fronts?

Conte will need to rotate well to keep the players fresh

Conte was patently unhappy with Chelsea’s activity in the transfer market this summer, as the Premier League champions missed out on the likes of Alex Sandro, Ross Barkley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fernando Llorente.

Davide Zappacosta and Danny Drinkwater were added to the ranks on deadline day, but question marks remain about the Blues’ squad depth as they prepare to contend for silverware both at home and in Europe. Conte was fortunate that his side did not suffer many injuries last time out, which allowed him to keep faith with a settled starting line-up in the Premier League. The fact they have now returned to the Champions League, meanwhile, means the Chelsea boss may need to shuffle his pack on a more regular basis in 2017/18.

Chelsea’s first XI still looks very strong, but a bit of bad luck with injuries could leave them stretched. If a failure to add more bodies to the squad in the summer comes back to haunt them, Conte will not be a happy man at all.