Chelsea have taken very well to the Europa League so far this season and they come into game week five with a 100% record of four wins from four games. They have already qualified for the knockout phase, and if they manage to get a point or more from their game against PAOK on Thursday night then they will guarantee finishing top of the group, with one game to spare. We are still in the very early stages of this competition, and you could argue that Chelsea have not been tested at all in the competition yet with who they have played, but there is a lot to like about how they are approaching this competition, and a deep run looks likely.

When new boss Maurizio Sarri took over in the summer, Chelsea knew they had signed a manager who took Europe seriously. The Europa League is something that British fans and clubs often look down at, and don’t give the competition the respect it deserves. When we are talking about British clubs in the competition, we often discuss resting players and the upset it causes to a team’s schedule as they have to play their following Premier League game on a Sunday.

However, for Sarri things are different, he wants to win what is a respected tournament in Europe, and so far we have seen him do everything he can to ensure Chelsea have a chance to win it. They have made changes and rotated their squad in this competition, but they haven’t done it as much as some clubs normally would, and he seems to have found a good balance between resting players and playing a team good enough to be far better than the opposition.

Things will get tougher for the London club, there is no doubt about that as they were handed a comfortable draw when the groups were decided this season. As we move into the knockout phase, not only do Chelsea have to take on teams that finished first or second in their groups, but they will also have the influx of clubs who finished third in their Champions League groups. That could include Tottenham, who beat Chelsea 3-1 over the weekend, and could also include Liverpool, who are in an awkward position with two games to go.

Even if Liverpool escape and qualify for the Champions League knockout round, they would do that at the expense of Napoli or PSG, two other top teams who would challenge Chelsea. The same applies to Tottenham, should they make it through it is likely to push Inter Milan into the Europa League, so you can see the kind of quality we are talking about here, and what awaits Chelsea in the latter rounds of this competition.

Italian Boss Sarri a Huge Hit at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea suffered their first defeat under Sarri at the weekend, losing 3-1 in the Premier League to London rivals Tottenham. This wasn’t a good day for The Blues, they were completely outplayed by their rivals, and fans will have been left disappointed.

One thing that Sarri has brought to Chelsea so far has been very good defensive play, but they were very poor at the back on Sunday. They allowed Tottenham chances not because Tottenham were playing brilliantly, but because Chelsea were making mistakes. Tottenham did very well to act on those mistakes, and they certainly played well, but they were given countless opportunities due to sloppy play and mistakes from Chelsea.

Chelsea will be hoping to prove that was a slip up, and prior to that game against Tottenham, Maurizio Sarri has proven himself to be a fantastic manager, and a huge asset to Chelsea Football Club. After a disappointing time last season, Sarri has brought structure back to the club, made them hard to play against and defensively sound. His tactics are simple and straight forward, he wants his team to control the football, play the ball out from the back and get it up to his skilled players, who are given the freedom to create chances.

We have seen players like Eden Hazard thrive on his new role, where he can basically do whatever he wants, and drift into a variety of different positions. With his team playing the ball out from the back, we have seen Hazard drop deep to pick it up on a number of occasions, giving him time on the ball without the pressure of a defender on his back. He is just one player to benefit from this system, but many more have too and there is no doubt that the move to bring Sarri to the club has been a positive one, and one that has improved the club considerably.

While results have been very good so far, Sarri will be judged on trophies at Stamford Bridge. For a long time now, Chelsea have competed for trophies and he has to follow that trend. It may take them a couple of years to be in a position where they can challenge for the Premier League title, but based on what we have seen so far, the Europa League is something that Chelsea are targeting, and something they look in with a chance of winning. Many people may look down on the Europa League, but Chelsea fans would love to win this European competition, and I am sure Maurizio Sarri would love nothing more than to bring silverware to the club in his first year in charge.

Chelsea vs PAOK Betting Tips

Chelsea come into this game having already secured their place in the knockout round, although they do need to pick up a point or more to secure top spot with a game to spare. I think Chelsea will play a relatively strong team despite that, because of what happened on Sunday when they were beaten easily by Tottenham 3-1. Of course they will rest players, with another Premier League local derby coming up on Sunday when they face Fulham.

Chelsea will want to put on a bit of a show here for their fans, and that could spell trouble for PAOK. Although The Blues only won the first game between these two 1-0, it could have been more, and that is what I think we will see here.

I think Chelsea will win this game with ease, and I am backing them to win on the -1 handicap line, meaning they have to win the game by two goals or more. That is something I fancy them to do, they will rest players but they will still have more than enough to get past PAOK, who struggled to contain The Blues when these two met in September.

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