To a man, Chelsea’s side against PAOK earned Maurizio Sarri’s consideration for Premier League appearances during the festive period. If fatigue sets in due to under-rotation in the coming month, Sarri cannot lay anything on the players.
Let’s get the caveats out of the way. This game had no practical implication for either team: Chelsea and PAOK had already secured the top and bottom of Group L before kickoff, respectively. PAOK went down to 10 men in the 7′. And the Blues were at home. Even controlling for all that, each Chelsea player should be in better standing with Maurizio Sarri after this game.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Goalkeeper: N/A
It takes a lot to play a complete game and walk away with an “N/A” rating. Well, actually, it takes a little. Very little. To-the-point-of-non-existence little. Kepa Arrizabalaga against PAOK little. Arrizabalaga faced no shots on target, touched the ball only 11 times and made eight passes in his least-involved night of the season. A well-deserved rest and a well-deserved N/A.
Davide Zappacosta, Right back: 6.5
Zappacosta did the one thing he has not done since his debut game as a Blue: he made us notice his presence to the point where we wondered what he could bring the Premier League XI. He took the most shots of any non-forward (4), sent in seven crosses and made strong runs into the half-spaces and into the penalty area. He followed up those runs with good movement on- and off-the-ball, knowing when to linger up top and when to cover back.
Remind yourself of the caveats, reassure yourself that Cesar Azpilicueta is still the right-back for the best XI, but don’t be surprised to see Zappacosta giving Azpilicueta some late-game minutes off or even games against lesser opponents when Chelsea are on the 72-hour cycle.
Gary Cahill, Centre back: 7.5
Gary Cahill was part of the reason Arrizabalaga did not face any shots on target. He made two perfect, quintessentially Cahill last-ditch tackles to deny PAOK even the thought of a threat on goal.
Cahill also played an important role in the build-up to Callum Hudson-Odoi’s goal. Cahill was – admittedly – doing the David Luiz thing of lingering around the opponent’s penalty box long after a set piece, although PAOK were obviously an unthreatening opponent and Cahill had Andreas Christensen and a full-back covering him. Cahill used some uncharacteristically nifty dribbling to keep a loose ball in Chelsea’s possession. Moments later, a deft touch on another loose ball knocked it to Pedro, who laid it off to Cesc Fabregas to set up Hudson-Odoi.
Cahill put in a smart, sound performance that – even with the caveats – drew a necessary contrast with David Luiz.
Andreas Christensen, Centre back: 6
Andreas Christensen may have made the weakest case for inclusion in the Premier League side, but he did not do anything that would further rule him out of Maurizio Sarri’s plans. He was the more defensive of the two centre backs, which is a noteworthy statement when the other is Gary Cahill. But that is the mentality and attribute set Chelsea do not have in their Premier League centre backs: the recognition of and commitment to defending as a fine, necessary art.
Emerson Palmieri, Left back: 7
Emerson may have given Maurizio Sarri the most to think about, if only because Emerson is usually so far from everyone’s thoughts. Emerson made the sharp, vertical runs that crop up around the pitch in Sarrismo. He imitated Alonso’s positioning into the half-spaces and penalty area, as well as the Spaniard’s crosses. He even put a bit more fizz on them.
Emerson was still a bit vulnerable on defence, getting caught out of position just inside Chelsea’s half and having to sprint back to make a recovery tackle at the edge of the box. PAOK clamored for a penalty, but it was a clean tackle. However, a better opponent could have either moved the ball into a threatening area before Emerson caught up to the play, or drew a penalty through a bit of guile as Emerson came in. Like Azpilicueta, Alonso will continue to start in the best XI but perhaps with some rare time off.