WILLIAN THE CONQUEROR
But Sarri rues lack of killer touch
MAURIZIO SARRI admitted his Chelsea players should have “killed the match” after they made hard work of what should have been a walk in the PAOK.
Willian marked his first competitive game as skipper with the seventh-minute winner in Chelsea’s Group L opener.
The only surprise was his early effort was not the first of many as the Blues cruised to victory in Greece.
Never mind the narrow margin, this was so easy for Chelsea against toothless PAOK that smoker Sarri really should have been able to get a cigar out.
Tension
But their wasteful finishing kept the Italian on edge until the final whistle.
Instead, he might have been tempted to light up to ease the tension following his side’s failure to rack up the goals that would have made his night comfortable. That left Chelsea grateful to Willian. The Brazilian leading his side out marked some turnaround, coming just five months after he edited a photo of Chelsea’s FA Cup-winning celebrations by covering ex-boss Antonio Conte with trophy emojis and appeared on his way out of Stamford Bridge. He looked inspired by the armband, led by example and ran the show against PAOK.
Sarri said: “I am very happy with the three points, very happy with the performance, but I am not very happy with the result. When it is time to kill the match, we have to kill the match.”
He also dismissed the importance of the renowned Toumba Stadium atmosphere in Thessaloniki.
The piercing jeers that greeted the first Chelsea players and then the officials before kick-off suggested their would be a hot reception to match the weather waiting for them by the time it filled up.
PAOK’s ultras didn’t disappoint, with flares and smoke bombs as the teams walked out.
Hostility towards officials is nothing new here. PAOK’s president Ivan Savvidis was banned for three years last season after storming the pitch with a gun to confront a referee. After one confirmed overnight attack on travelling supporters, the sight of an ambulance and fire engine in front of the 500-odd Blues fans – who travelled despite the club concerns – was ominous.
Kindly, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck tried to cheer up those who had endured a tough trip to the ground by dipping into his own pocket and splashing out on crisps from a kiosk.
And securing victory should have been a picnic for Chelsea after Willian squeezed in a quick opener from Ross Barkley’s pass. But Alvaro Morata blew a hat-trick of clear chances before smashing one that he created all himself well over. Pedro, whose late shoulder injury took some of the gloss off the win, then fluffed his lines after a brilliant pass from Marcos Alonso.
PAOK (4-2-3-1): Paschalakis; Vieirinha, Kacheridi, Varela, Tosca; Wernbloom, Mauricio; Jaba (Biseswar 83), Shakhov (Prijovic 69); El Khaddouri; Pelkas (Warda 62). Subs: Rey, Prijovic, Crespo, Limnios, Biseswar, Canas.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Zappacosta, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso (Azpilicueta 66); Kante, Jorginho (Fabregas 65), Barkley; Willian, Morata (Giroud 81), Pedro. Subs: Caballero, Moses, Cahill, Loftus-Cheek.
Referee: Alberto Mallenco (Spain).