Chelsea’s team at Bournemouth on Saturday had a youthful feel about it with the average age of the starting XI just 25. Four of our January recruits were selected, and the only players over the age of 30 were N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva.

On a satisfying afternoon on the South Coast which ended with the Blues victorious for the first time since 11 March - that also a 3-1 away win, at Leicester – it was some of our starlets that stood out. Conor Gallagher and Benoit Badiashile both found the net while another January recruit, Noni Madueke, impressed with his direct dribbling and quick feet.

With four games now left this season, it was put to Frank Lampard the pair of Madueke and Badiashile should stay in the team to try and build on this good performance.

‘It’s probably not easy to answer that,’ Lampard replied.

‘To a degree, yeah, but I’ll have to think about Forest, see what the week says. Of course, my role now is to try to give those players minutes, to show and grow a little bit in the team. But also, as much as there’s that, I have to work with all the players and they all have to respect what I’m trying to do.

‘So if they’re training well there are other players who will be pushing those players too, so they do need to have a level of performance. Noni’s performance on Tuesday got him in the team, even though he was not so well earlier in the week.

‘We all saw Benoit and it’s pretty clear that he’s got a big talent. So those are decisions I’ll have to make, but they do have to keep their level and they do have to keep pushing and we’ve got a tough run-in. The last week’s got three games and against three of the top teams, two of them away from home. So we’ll probably need to use the squad a little bit in that period anyway.’

That will likely be the case with Thiago Silva, the most experienced member of our squad and still one of the very best.

Arguably our standout performer this season, the Brazilian continues to bely his age and Lampard underlined why having someone of Thiago’s stature on and off the pitch is invaluable.

‘Thiago is a credit in all aspects,’ said Lampard.

‘He’s a classy, brilliant player. His career says it. He’s also brilliant at looking after himself to play at this level. He’s 38. I was in the MLS by that point. Especially as a centre-back, to play in the Premier League, what he must be doing with his body.

‘He’s also got a great mind and he’s got a winning mentality, so he would have been suffering a bit recently because he feels it and he wears it and he’s a great reference point for the young centre-backs we’ve got in the team around him. I’ve got nothing but praise for Thiago in all aspects.’