Blues beat Sparta - but not exactly a walk in the Prague...

[BlueLion. 21,491]

A goal eight minutes from time from substitute Oscar was enough to see Chelsea earn a slender advantage in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-32 tie against Czech side Sparta Prague.

On a night where Blues goalkeeper Petr Cech returned to the club that put him on the European radar after a short spell in the Czech capital, it was one of Rafael Benitez' trademark late substitutes - Oscar - that lit up an otherwise dour encounter.

Exchanging passes with Eden Hazard just seconds after coming on, the young Brazilian showed considerable composure to dance beyond a defender and slot his cultured finish into the bottom corner with unerring accuracy.

It was that sole moment of magic that will be remembered; yet even such a wonderful finish will not linger too long in the memory, it would seem. The team Benitez' side were up against were beyond poor. The Blues have found more testing opposition in League One Brentford, whom the European champions host on Sunday in a replay of their FA Cup fourth-round tie.

The Sparta side came into this game on the back of a fourteen-game unbeaten streak in league and cup, but more importantly, on following a two-month winter break. The lack of match practice was evident; even in first gear, Frank Lampard and company were beyond comfortable, one or two half-scares besides.

A 1-0 lead hardly does justice to the void in quality between the two sides, but this was a case of getting the job done with the minimum amount of effort and urgency; a prudent move considering the upcoming fixture congestion the team will face over the coming weeks.

Blues supporters cannot help but think that there was a worrying lack of gusto in the side's showing last night. Though it is likely they will have been instructed by the management to play within themselves in light of a heavy schedule that will only be further weighted should the team progress, that compromise will have been of little comfort to the thousands of Chelsea supporters who braved freezing conditions to follow the European champions on their tour of the continent.

]If the lack of effort was down to a half-hearted outlook on the competition, the Blues should begin to take the merit of the Europa League seriously. The calibre of teams is indeed improving, with sides such as Napoli, Fenerbahce, defending champions Atletico Madrid, Lyon, Internazionale Milano and Tottenham also in the draw.

Yet a good run in the competition is imperative for our Champions League credentials. After being eliminated in the group stage this term, and early exits in the round-of-16 and the quarter-finals in 2009/10 and 2010/11 respectively, regardless of winning the competition last season, the Blues' European co-efficient will drop dramatically.

The repercussions of this are quite serious; good runs in either competition from the likes of Valencia, Paris St-Germain and Schalke 04 could potentially threaten the Blues' top-seed status.

When you consider this, alongside the monetary value of the competition - the finalists receive in excess of £8 million; a mere quarter of last season's final triumph prize fund, but still a healthy cash injection that cannot be sniffed at - this is a trophy that should be high on Rafael Benitez' agenda as we reach the business end of the campaign.

Similarly, with Europa League glory in Amsterdam this season the Blues could become only the fifth team ever and the first British club to complete the European trophy haul of the Champions League, Europa League, European Supercup and the European Cup Winners' Cup.

And yet Amsterdam is looking ever more likely to be the destined venue for the Blues this season - but only for a potential round-of-16 tie. Should the Blues complete the job at Stamford Bridge, it is Ajax who will be their opponents after they cantered to a 2-0 lead against Steaua Bucharest in the first leg of their tie. That would represent a serious improvement in opposition calibre.

More work must be done in the second leg at Stamford Bridge beforehand however, but it would take a miracle for Sparta to be able to compete. A 1-0 lead can be a fragile one, but the Blues clearly have more gears to surge through should the situation call for it, as Wigan found out to their peril last weekend.

On this cold evening in the Czech capital, there was little to shout about. The Blues dominated possession and enjoyed the lion's share of the territory; but for Oscar's finely-taken winner and a hat-trick of Frank Lampard efforts, there was little else created by either side.

The Czechs twice had half-chances in the form of debutant Lafata, but he blew his one glorious chance as he slid in to lift the ball well over from six yards out. On a night of ridiculously poor finishing, however, he had serious competition from Ramires, who twice lashed an effort into the upper tier behind the goal, and also Fernando Torres, who lashed one effort out for a throw. To his own amusement, the effort landed closer to the half-way line than the goalline. That moment summed up the Spaniard's non-performance and his Blues career to date.

Lampard warmed the goalkeeper's gloves with difficult bouncing efforts from range on two occasions, and had a header from a Juan Mata cross gratefully smothered. He was the Blues' most dangerous player on the night in an attacking sense, and an important defensive influence as stand-in skipper. John Terry, Benitez later revealed, is still struggling from niggling injuries. A premature end to the Englishman's career may be closer than most would expect.

Marko Marin and Hazard had their individual moments, but it is the class of Oscar that illuminated this contest and gave the shivering Blues support a happy journey back home.

It may not be the competition they expected to be in, but as Kings of Europe, Chelsea have an obligation to compete and a reputation to maintain. Progression to the latter rounds of the Europa League will at least serve to lessen the wound of being knocked out of the Champions League at such an early stage (albeit on a technicality).

One just hopes an ounce more of effort is shown in the return leg at Stamford Bridge. Otherwise it is a slight against the opposition, however poor, but more importantly, the paying faithful.

Bear that in mind, Rafa.

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[Rmpr 8,977]

The Sparta side came into this game on the back of a fourteen-game unbeaten streak in league and cup, but more importantly, on following a two-month winter break. The lack of match practice was evident; even in first gear, Frank Lampard and company were beyond comfortable, one or two half-scares besides.

Mate, dont change fonts and size in the middle of the text, makes it uncomfortable to read.

Boring match, great article though!

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I didn't change the font or font size, it did it itself...

Weird.

Thanks for reading

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I've missed your match reports, Alex!

Great point about the club's European coefficient, I'm sure not many people, my self included, realized that. But i felt you should give Sparta a bit more credit; what they lacked in individual skill, they more than made up for in organization. Their lines were very close and made it very difficult for us.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I didn't change the font or font size, it did it itself...

Weird.

Thanks for reading

I agree with you! I will find it cool if we win it, we wont probably play it again in a very long time (well, I hope so) and it might be easier than the FA Cup for us not to go trophyless.

However, I think we still got a fair lead in the UEFA coefficient...

[The only place to be 11,313]

So you think we should take this competition seriously for our CL ranking when there's absolutely no guarantee that we'll be in the CL next season???

You want a game 3 days before we face Spurs in the League?

You think a final in Amsterdam 3 days before we play Everton in the league is a good thing?

[Stingray 9,441]

Yet a good run in the competition is imperative for our Champions League credentials. After being eliminated in the group stage this term, and early exits in the round-of-16 and the quarter-finals in 2009/10 and 2010/11 respectively, regardless of winning the competition last season, the Blues' European co-efficient will drop dramatically. The repercussions of this are quite serious; good runs in either competition from the likes of Valencia, Paris St-Germain and Schalke 04 could potentially threaten the Blues' top-seed status.

This is why Uefa League does matter, I believe.

@Alex : Great article, mate.

[The only place to be 11,313]

This is why Uefa League does matter, I believe.

@Alex : Great article, mate.

It's akin to worrying about what shirt you should wear on a date with Angelina Jolie - maybe you should focus on getting the date in the first place.

And how exactly did that seeding work for us this year? The FACT is that the Champions League is getting more competitive and there are more teams capable of beating us than ever before which means seeding isn't something I'm particularly worried about at this time.

We have a small squad who has struggled to beat teams like QPR, Reading and Southampton with 3-4 days rest. Now we're talking about going on a run in a competition that gives us more fixtures less than 3 days before tough league games????

[BlueLion. 21,491]

It's akin to worrying about what shirt you should wear on a date with Angelina Jolie - maybe you should focus on getting the date in the first place.

And how exactly did that seeding work for us this year? The FACT is that the Champions League is getting more competitive and there are more teams capable of beating us than ever before which means seeding isn't something I'm particularly worried about at this time.

We have a small squad who has struggled to beat teams like QPR, Reading and Southampton with 3-4 days rest. Now we're talking about going on a run in a competition that gives us more fixtures less than 3 days before tough league games????

You should be. Seeding is the difference between facing Dortmund, Valencia and BATE Borisov and facing Dortmund, Valencia and Bayern Munich/Real/Barcelona, etc..

[Stingray 9,441]

It's akin to worrying about what shirt you should wear on a date with Angelina Jolie - maybe you should focus on getting the date in the first place.

And how exactly did that seeding work for us this year? The FACT is that the Champions League is getting more competitive and there are more teams capable of beating us than ever before which means seeding isn't something I'm particularly worried about at this time.

We have a small squad who has struggled to beat teams like QPR, Reading and Southampton with 3-4 days rest. Now we're talking about going on a run in a competition that gives us more fixtures less than 3 days before tough league games????

All true! I do not deny it. And as I said in another thread, I am not too keen on this competition - given our current thin team. However, the facts remain - it is not complete without importance as some seem to believe.

Thats all I am implying.

ps: With Angelina, I would worry about my underwear more :-)

[The only place to be 11,313]

You should be. Seeding is the difference between facing Dortmund, Valencia and BATE Borisov and facing Dortmund, Valencia and Bayern Munich/Real/Barcelona, etc..

Again, completely missing the point. We don't automatically qualify for this competition. We do actually have to finish in the top four and last year we finished SIXTH.

We've shown an inability to beat weaker teams like QPR, Southampton and Reading on 3-4 days rest and you're talking about the benefits of a cup run that adds up to SEVEN extra games? Have you even bothered to look at when the next rounds' ties are scheduled for?

Round of 16 - 1st leg is 3 days before FULHAM (away). 2nd leg is 3 days before WEST HAM (home). We've already dropped 5 points to these teams.

Quarters - 1st leg is 3 days before SUNDERLAND (home). 2nd leg is 3 days before SPURS (home). Spurs is arguably the biggest game we have remaining.

Semis - 1st leg is 3 days before SWANSEA (home). 2nd leg is 3 days before MANCHESTER UNITED (away). Again, 5 points dropped against these teams and the draw against Swansea came after the league cup game with United where we played our key players.

Final - Comes in between a game away to VILLA who will be fighting relegation and the last game at home to EVERTON.

So you can talk about coefficients as much as you want but they're simply a problem we don't have the luxury of worrying about right now.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

So what do you propose? That we jack this in? Do you think that makes sense to just throw away the chance of silverware - which has been heightened by the fact other big teams have been drawn against one another, and the likes of Liverpool, Atletico Madrid etc. look like to go out this round - for us to then qualify for the Champions League next season? Should that happen there is a very good chance that we will a second-seeded club. Looking at how competitive the Champions League is now, we cannot afford to fall out of Europa League and risk falling into pot two. Because there is then a very good chance we won't even make it beyond the group stage, yet again. Look how we struggled as the top seed this season. It will only get harder should we fall out of the first pot.

I'm not missing your point, nor am I choosing to ignore it, as you're ignoring the bigger picture. I more than appreciate the encumbrance this competition is, but I also appreciate that here, the risk is worth the reward. You're completely jumping the gun and thinking I am saying we HAVE to win this competition. We don't. Progressing a couple of rounds brings in thousands and brings with it the necessary co-efficient points to secure top seed status. After that, we can focus on the league.

[The only place to be 11,313]

So what do you propose? That we jack this in? Do you think that makes sense to just throw away the chance of silverware - which has been heightened by the fact other big teams have been drawn against one another, and the likes of Liverpool, Atletico Madrid etc. look like to go out this round - for us to then qualify for the Champions League next season? Should that happen there is a very good chance that we will a second-seeded club. Looking at how competitive the Champions League is now, we cannot afford to fall out of Europa League and risk falling into pot two. Because there is then a very good chance we won't even make it beyond the group stage, yet again. Look how we struggled as the top seed this season. It will only get harder should we fall out of the first pot.

I'm not missing your point, nor am I choosing to ignore it, as you're ignoring the bigger picture. I more than appreciate the encumbrance this competition is, but I also appreciate that here, the risk is worth the reward. You're completely jumping the gun and thinking I am saying we HAVE to win this competition. We don't. Progressing a couple of rounds brings in thousands and brings with it the necessary co-efficient points to secure top seed status. After that, we can focus on the league.

You're just not addressing it.

If you believe that we can finish top four with these extra games despite us struggling with short turnarounds then fine. Take that position and defend it.

I don't though. I think it's going to be tough as it is without these extra games. So I would field weaker teams and not worry too much about being eliminated because long-term it's going to be better for us.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I do think we'll finish top four, with or without these extra games. I guess we'll just see who's right at the end of the season and leave it at that. But I am confident we have the squad to defend third, or at the worst finish fourth.

I totally agree that is is going to be difficult, but no more difficult than the predicament we found ourselves in last season when we put all our eggs in one basket and managed to make an omelette by winning the UCL. This season we need to spread them out a little more. It's as big a risk, but I genuinely believe we can finish top four whilst contesting the FA Cup and EL.

[Dion 2,476]

I do think we can finish in top four and win Europa League at the same time. But we should see how things work out in a day to day basis, if it becomes too risky to try both, we drop UEL altogether and focus in EPL.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I do think we'll finish top four, with or without these extra games. I guess we'll just see who's right at the end of the season and leave it at that. But I am confident we have the squad to defend third, or at the worst finish fourth.

I totally agree that is is going to be difficult, but no more difficult than the predicament we found ourselves in last season when we put all our eggs in one basket and managed to make an omelette by winning the UCL. This season we need to spread them out a little more. It's as big a risk, but I genuinely believe we can finish top four whilst contesting the FA Cup and EL.

I think we have the squad....but not with these extra games. How many points have we dropped in midweek games because we've look underprepared or tired?

Either way, surely we should be playing the percentages and focusing on what's important. People say we'd be acting like Arsenal to accept just a top-four spot but this season has been a clusterfuck of epic proportions and if you offered me third spot and nothing else I'd take it in a heartbeat, so why don't we simply focus on the league and ignore this competition?

Oh right, because of a coefficient which you readily admit pertains to a competition that is becoming more competitive across the boad. Well the FACT is that to be the best you have to beat the best.

But first you have to play the best and that should be our only focus this season.

I do think we can finish in top four and win Europa League at the same time. But we should see how things work out in a day to day basis, if it becomes too risky to try both, we drop UEL altogether and focus in EPL.

So we wait until we're in a tough spot before acting? It should be reserves from this point on. Ferreira, Saville, Ake, Turnbull, Bertrand, Benayoun etc.

[Rmpr 8,977]

So we wait until we're in a tough spot before acting? It should be reserves from this point on. Ferreira, Saville, Ake, Turnbull, Bertrand, Benayoun etc.

Yes, this is how it works...

We play this mixed team (with Bertrand, Marin, Cahill, Torres, etc) in Europa League and FA Cup until we feel it is safe. If we have a really big h2h game in EPL and there is a chance of risking it, we play the reserves!

You dont simply give up because you have a lot of fixtures, lol.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Yes, this is how it works...

We play this mixed team (with Bertrand, Marin, Cahill, Torres, etc) in Europa League and FA Cup until we feel it is safe. If we have a really big h2h game in EPL and there is a chance of risking it, we play the reserves!

You dont simply give up because you have a lot of fixtures, lol.

You recognise the reality of the situation and act accordingly.

Let's walk through this slowly.

Do you accept that top four is all that matters this season? I do.

Do you think we're best prepared to play Fulham with a week's rest or 3 days?

Do you think we're best prepared to play West Ham with a week's rest or 3 days?

Do you think we're best prepared to play Sunderland with a week's rest or 3 days?

Do you think we're best prepared to play Spurs with a week's rest or 3 days?

Do you think we're best prepared to play Swansea with a week's rest or 3 days?

Do you think we're best prepared to play Man United with a week's rest or 3 days?

Do you think we're best prepared to play Villa with a week's rest or 3 days?

Do you think we're best prepared to play Everton with a week's rest or 3 days?

Now some of these might not be a week because of Cup games and others being rescheduled, but if more than half of those answers were 'YES' then maybe we should recognise that the Europa League is nothing more than an inconvenience and that the long-term future of this club is best served by Champions League qualification and not the Europa League, shiny trophy that it may well be.

Finishing this season without trophies isn't the worst thing in the world considering all the tumult and turmoil we've faced. We have to make sure we're in the best position possible for next season.