Frank Lampard has explained the reasons behind his team selection for the Premier League clash against Norwich City, where five changes were made.
The Blues suffered a defeat at the weekend against Sheffield United but could breathe a sigh of relief as top-four rivals Leicester City and Manchester United both failed to win.
That means that Chelsea still have their destiny in their own hands and are in the driving seat heading into the final matches of the season.
A response was definitely needed from the weekend though and Lampard admitted that performance did affect his team selection.
Asked whether his decision to make five changes for the clash was to keep the squad fit or a response to the defeat to Sheffield United, Lampard said: "It's a bit of both.
"There's definitely freshness, it was a difficult game for us and we didn't perform well, that's the end of that story. So we've got some freshness in midfield, players who have been pushing for places in midfield and deserve a chance.
"So yeah, the changes are there for that and hopefully it does show a bit of a change from Saturday but I like to think when you make changes you either get the same level or improve it, so that's the message."
