Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said there is competition in his forward as all players are available for selection ahead of Saturday game against Leeds United.
Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner all have been exceptional and Lampard is spoilt with choice on who to start.
The manager spoke with journalist on Friday via Zoom videoconferencing ahead of the game.
He said, “Everyone is fit,’ Lampard reported.
“With Giroud, it’s not a case of giving any player assurances over game time because with a competitive squad like ours, that’s very difficult to do.
“All you want is for players, when they’re out of the team, to train well, get themselves in the team and perform like Oli did the other day because then that gives me nice problems.
“I’m happy with him – his form is good and he’s training well.
“In that forward area, I have competition for places.
“Tammy Abraham has been playing very well for us this season, scoring goals and making assists.
“I never see anything negative from Oli and I have huge respect for him.
“If he plays like he did against Sevilla, clearly he will get more opportunities to play because that was just a top-class performance.’
Another question Lampard had to deal with is that of Billy Gilmour who has returned from injury and played against Sevilla on Wednesday.
“We are competitive in midfield. We don’t have injuries at the moment and the numbers do mean some players will miss out on squads but the quality of Billy will hopefully mean he gets some minutes, particularly when we look at the Champions League game coming up in midweek.
“More than that, I think Billy’s quality will shine through but obviously there is competition in that area so we’ll have to see.”
Saturday game will for the first time after 272 days that Chelsea supporters will be at the Stamford Bridge due to the COVID-19.
Lampard was full of enthusiasm in his response to seeing fans at the Stadium once again.
“It means a great deal because we’ve been missing them.
“In restart, there was such a focus on just getting the season finished but this season has started and I certainly feel it.
“We do this job and we love it for a reason, working in the Premier League because of the fans and the rivalries and what it means to people, so to get 2,000 of our fans back is a big deal.
“They’ve been patient.
“I know more fans will want tickets than could get tickets and we hope that moves in the right direction quickly but it’ll be nice to hear them tomorrow supporting the team.”
On a final note, he talked about the togetherness of the team which he said is the reasons for their recent positive results.
“We’re playing well at the minute but we can get better for sure and what it takes to win over the course of a season is consistency.
“We’ve got a good spirit.
“I think the nine changes in midweek and the performance and result showed that but things will test you along the way on that front.
“We should be very understanding of where we’re at – we’re in a good place but it can be a lot better and it will need to be if we’re going to sustain it through the season.”
Chelsea are 3rd on the Premier League table with 19 points from 10 games.
