Ruben Loftus-Cheek wants Chelsea to hit the standards shown against AC Milan in each and every game

Ruben Loftus-Cheek got his first start under new manager Graham Potter last night, and just as he had often done over the past 12 months for Thomas Tuchel, he made the most of his opportunity, helping us cope with the midfield strength of AC Milan. It was an excellent box-to-box performance from the big man, passing, dribbling, drawing fouls, making interceptions, and even picking up the assist on the goalmouth scramble for Chelsea’s first goal. Only the wing-backs touched the ball more often, which is to be expected in this sort of setup.

But while Ruben was rightly pleased with his own performance, and appreciative of getting to play on such a big night under the brightest of lights at Stamford Bridge, he’s also hoping that the standard set by the team last night will be the standards we aspire to by default going forward. No more mucking about, boys!

“That’s gotta be the standard. From now on. We shouldn’t have to say that before each game. It should be normal for us to go out with that intensity, that energy, that sharpness. Because that’s what will make us consistent.”

September was a trying month at Chelsea — we’ve had a more than a few such months recently — but October’s off to a great start, and the mood of the team is reflective of that. Winning makes everything easier, and as the confidence grows, so can our prospects for the weeks and months ahead.

“Really delighted, really good mood in the dressing room afterwards. Fantastic performance from us [we] were ruthless with chances tonight, and that was the difference [...] We’ve had games like this were we’ve beaten really good teams — we can beat anyone! It’s just about being consistent.

“That’s the challenge for now, and we work hard for it.”

-Ruben Loftus-Cheek; source: Chelsea TV

Easier said than done of course, but that’s why it’s called a challenge. If it were easy, everybody would do it. Let’s go!