Chelsea have so far made light of the gruelling effects of a trip to Japan and back to play in an important tournament, winning 5-1 at Leeds on our return and then going three goals better against Aston Villa.
Gary Cahill was suspended for the Capital One Cup match but returned against his former club on Sunday afternoon, and feels belief is rising in the camp as the fixtures keep coming thick and fast.
‘It was a day when everything came together for us,’ the defender said about an 8-0 result which equalled Chelsea’s best top-flight win.
‘We started the game really well which set the tempo. We were good defensively and going forward we were brilliant and created a lot of chances. There were plenty of goals and plenty of goalscorers.
‘Without being disrespectful to Aston Villa, it is a rare scoreline and you feel a bit sorry for them but at the same time, we had to do a job and we have shown what we can do.
‘The positive thing was we didn’t sit back when we had scored two or three. We kept going until the 90th minute and we got our rewards for that and that will give us confidence leading in to the Norwich game.’
Cahill admits closing an 11-point gap to the top of the table will be tough, even with a game in hand, but we won’t stand a better chance of doing so than by maintaining the football played on Sunday afternoon.
‘There won’t be one of our fans watching who didn’t enjoy the performance and hopefully we can continue.
‘The manager said he is going to keep working hard and doing his best and as players that is what we try to do, and I am sure we will win people over with performances like that.
‘We needed a reaction from losing the final in Japan which was a big blow for us, and it shows the character in the team that we came back with hardly any rest and got the good result at Leeds and then again on Sunday.
‘We showed what we are capable of and it is just a matter of consistency now. We have a lot of young players but on a day like Sunday you can really see the quality in the squad.
‘If we play like that we won’t go far wrong. Norwich away is always a tough game and we found that when we went there last year. No doubt it will be similar but we go into the match with great confidence.’