Former Chelsea defender Frank Sinclair has claimed that Ross Barkley looked like a different player altogether against PAOK Salonika on Thursday and added that it is due to his confidence.
Barkley combined well with Willian to help Chelsea break the deadlock early on in Thessaloniki after he was handed a starting role by Maurizio Sarri for the Europa League clash.
The midfielder played the full 90 minutes against PAOK and was a driving force in midfield for the visitors, who were greeted by a raucous atmosphere at the Toumba Stadium.
The Englishman looked confident with the ball at his feet and worked relentlessly without it to give Chelsea the upper hand over their counterparts in the middle of the park.
Sinclair, who was a central figure at Stamford Bridge during the 1990s, went on to claim that he saw a massive difference in Barkley and that it surely helped him affect the game much better.
“The difference I saw with him to when I first saw him at the start of the season was with receiving the ball”, Sinclair explained on Chelsea TV.
“He was really positive.
“Sometimes you'd notice him in pre-season and in the early games of the season and he'd take a touch back towards his own goal.
“But every opportunity [against PAOK] when he received the ball, he took it on his back foot and drove forward.
“That shows his confidence. I thought he affected the game really well”, he added.
Chelsea will next face West Ham United away from home in the Premier League on Sunday and it remains to be seen if Barkley will be involved.
