The old saying in football, that you are only as good as your last game, could also be considered in another tense; you are only as good as your next game. That is why that other hoary old cliche, ‘we will take every game as it comes’, never becomes dated.

The next game for Chelsea is against Arsenal tonight and at the Emirates it is obviously going to be one of the hardest of the season. The Gunners have run a superb league race, even if many feel they are just running out of breath as they enter the home straight. That may be true, or it might not be, time will tell, but there is no doubt tonight’s atmosphere will be incredible as the home fans do everything to lift their favourites for that final sprint finish.

• Frank has been speaking ahead of the game

• Could Aubameyang start at Arsenal?

• Kepa's love for fast sports

That is what we have to be prepared for in this one, but it can sometimes be a negative as well as a positive. Arsenal know they must win every game between now and the end of the season in the league if they are going to be ready to take advantage of any slip from Manchester City. That brings its own pressure and we will discover how good they are at coping with that sort of stress tonight.

Spoil the party like it's 2016

Few Chelsea fans will be able to think about this game without considering what was in many ways a very similar situation a few years back, in 2016, when Arsenal’s north London neighbours came down to the Bridge with their sights on the title. Spurs had to overcome us if they were going to have any chance of stealing the title from shock leaders Leicester City. That wasn’t our best season, in fact the 10th-place finish was the lowest in the last quarter of a century.

Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard scored in the second half, Spurs imploded and that match at Stamford Bridge has gone down in Chelsea folklore as the night we scuppered their only chance to win the Premier League. Far be it from me to take any pleasure from that, but I am assured that some Chelsea fans still do!

There will be a little frisson of excitement that Chelsea might just do the same to Arsenal. Even if we could just steal a point up in north London tonight, that might be enough to break the hearts of the vast majority of fans inside the ground. Considering the stories we have all heard of match tickets for the last few home games going for a king’s ransom to every red-blooded supporter of the red side of north London, crushing those hopes and dreams now would be something approaching torture.

Selection balancing act

Arsenal have been flying this season and we haven’t. The pressure is off Chelsea for this one, though.

Frank may still be fairly uncertain if the right team has been welded together yet under his stewardship this time round. The closest seemed to be that first hour against Real Madrid at the Bridge, but then injuries always seem to get in the way, Reece James now being unavailable until next season.

It must be fairly tempting for the caretaker manager to give one or two other players a little run out, those who have had no or very few minutes for him so far. On the other hand, a run of defeats is demoralising and alien to people like Lampard, true winners to the core throughout their playing careers.

A fond reunion with brave Jorginho

Talking of true Blues from our midfields of the past, I do hope that Jorginho gets an extremely positive reception if he enters the fray. With over 200 appearances for the club, he has had some great moments and for a period he may well have been the best at controlling games of football, anywhere in the game. Obviously not every Chelsea fan regarded him as highly as I did, but it is clear that for many he was among the most liked, respected and revered players during his time here.

That control of games was the first thing that hit me, but then it is hard to ignore the penalty kicks he scored and, of course, that inimitable donkey-kick style. It was incredibly brave to keep doing that, even when keepers knew what to expect, and maybe that takes me onto my favourite thing about him, bravery.

Real bravery in professional football isn’t about a 50/50 challenge with a thuggish giant of a defender. That is brave enough, but more than that it is about never hiding, always wanting the ball, whatever the circumstances, wherever on the park, however you are marked and however well or badly the team is playing.

Even when it is going badly, you still have to want to be, and believe you can be, the player who can make a difference. At the very least you have to be the player who will help your team-mate make a difference.

One thing that most football fans will always forgive is a player who works hard, keeps trying and is brave enough to always be willing to try to do the right thing, instead of waiting for someone else to do it. Maybe it is the biggest thing I learned in my football career; fans are understanding and forgiving when you have this attitude. Well, Chelsea fans specifically were when I was at the club.

I don’t think the ethos has changed that much. So come on lads, have a go and believe in yourselves. If you do the fans will be right behind you tonight and for every game.