Sarri not happy as Blues fail to take full advantage

MAURIZIO SARRI is a self-confessed fiend for nicotine and, six games into his reign at Chelsea, he must feel like he is chomping on cigars.

After a five-year absence from the Europa League, Chelsea continued their flawless start to the season under their new head coach with a sixth successive victory.

Willian’s early goal was enough to secure a crucial win in Group L and it was only Chelsea’s wayward finishing, particularly from Alvaro Morata, which enabled PAOK Salonika to lose their first game against English opposition with a respectable scoreline.

The atmosphere was raucous and intimidating inside the hostile Toumba Stadium, with fireworks and flares shooting up into the sky before kick-off, but Chelsea strolled around during the game as if it were a training exercise.

The only concern for Sarri from a satisfactory workout in Thessaloniki was the late withdrawal of Pedro with a shoulder injury, after a collision with PAOK goalkeeper Alexandros Paschalakis in the final minutes. Sarri reported after the game that it was “not serious”.

Sarri cannot have possibly envisaged such a stress-free start to his tenure and some of the attacking football Chelsea played here was exquisite – even without their main man, Eden Hazard.

“I think we were in control of the match for 90 minutes. We have had a lot of opportunities and missed several,” said the Italian.

“I am very happy with the performance and the three points, but I am not very happy with the result. When it is time to kill the match, we have to kill the match.

“Alvaro has to gain confidence with one, two or three goals. In this match he has had three or four opportunities. He was unlucky. I hope for him that in the future I can try to help him, but the confidence can only come with goals.”

There was a familiar look to Sarri’s starting XI here, after he had identified this trip to Greece as Chelsea’s toughest assignment in the group stage.

There was to be no wild experimentation with the team but he cannot have expected PAOK to suffer such stage fright. They managed just one shot on target.

The opener came after just seven minutes, with Willian placing the ball under Paschalakis’s body after he was sent clear by Ross Barkley. Willian was outstanding all evening, a shimmering menace in attack, and clearly thriving on being handed the captaincy for the night. (© Daily Telegraph, London)