Thomas Tuchel is delighted to have N'Golo Kante starting in his midfield for the first time since taking over at Chelsea.
The German head coach was fortunate enough to inherit a largely fit squad, but Kante was one of the players who had to wait for a taste of life under Tuchel due to a hamstring injury.
Kante has featured off the bench in an attempt to get minutes back into his legs, but for today's clash with Southampton at St Mary's, Tuchel handed the Frenchman his first start since Frank Lampard's departure.
And ahead of the game, with a grin from ear-to-ear, Tuchel spoke of his delight to have Kante starting hin his midfield as Chelsea look to make it seven unbeaten and six straight wins in all competitions.
"Yeah, and I have just the feeling he will help in any game and any situation," he told BT Sport when asked if Kante can help deal with Southampton's energetic style of play. "It is a pure pleasure to have the guy in the squad.
"His attitude in training is absolutely fantastic and mentally.
"But quality-wise, (the standard) it's brilliant.
"Right now, we have three midfielders with Kovacic, Jorginho and Kante which I am absolutely happy. They are at the core of our team with quality, organisation and structure.
"I'm very happy and I want to have a minimum of two fo them on the pitch. Today, N'Golo starts, he comes back from injury and it's the moment for him to feel the game again from the first minute, and I hope he can show what he shows in training."
Tuchel was also able to start striker Tammy Abraham, who was a doubt for the Southampton clash after suffering an ankle injury in the win over Newcastle United on Monday.
"Very important," added Tuchel when asked about the significance of Abraham's quick recovery.
"It was a hard tackle and he was lucky not to be injured and even more lucky not to feel any pain. He did a full training yesterday and we decided to start in the same shape offensive wise.
"Hopefully, he can fulfil the expectations."
