And they're off! Premier League football is back with Frank Lampard's young generation travelling to Birmingham on Sunday to play Aston Villa, before the Thursday night duel with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
"The players all want to play," confirms Lamps, adding that the pandemic had put sport into perspective. "Lockdown's made me realise, as I've spent more time at home with my 19-month-old, that sometimes stepping away from the football club is a good thing… but I say that now! Ask my wife, Christine, in six months' time if I'm still consumed by football!"
The Blues warmed up with a 7-1 friendly victory against QPR on Sunday, giving the players a taste of noiseless atmosphere. Encouragingly, N'Golo Kante started, while Billy Gilmour and Ruben Loftus-Cheek each bagged a brace.
Mason Mount, who also scored, says the lack of fans at games will be interesting. "We'll have to be careful not to use any bad language!"
The Blues' match at Villa Park will be a challenge. The stark fact is that Chelsea have not won a single Premier League away game in 2020.
Motivation won't be an issue. The club have Champions League football in their sights for next season, with Manchester United hot on their heels for a top-four place.
But while there's the excitement of the delayed FA Cup 6th round game on Sunday 28th at Leicester to look forward to, there's also a sense of wistfulness for an era of boisterous companionship, carefree routines and shared experiences we simply took for granted.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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