Frank Lampard has told Chelsea’s fringe players they have an important role to play.
The Blues boss believes the recent contributions of Christian Pulisic and Michy Batshuayi should send a positive message to those struggling to get a place in the side.
Lampard said at a press conference: “There’s nothing better than when that happened in Ajax when Christian again assists for Batshuayi.
“That’s the great message for the players, because it’s horrible – I hated not playing – and sometimes as a manager it’s difficult to not play people again and again because the team’s playing well and to keep their spirits up so they can come in and be that game changer.
“That’s something I’m big on. We need a big squad if we want to be successful.
“Players need to feel valued whether they’re starting or not and they need to have input when they come on and that’s what they’re doing.”
Lampard is expected to make changes for the Carabao Cup game at home to Manchester United.
“I have to be aware of the fact that we haven’t changed the team very much,” he said.
“That’s my prerogative when I think the team is playing pretty well but this game may be an opportunity for other players who are not playing.
“As a player, I wanted to play every game but the beauty of sitting on this side is you do see things slightly differently and you have time to think about the bigger picture.
“The demands on the players are even more in the modern day so I have to take those things into account but we’re not taking this game lightly.
“Even if I make changes – I’ll make them because I believe in the squad being strong throughout.
“If there are players who step out of the line-up with a view to the coming weeks, it will be done with the big picture in mind.
“I understand how players are and they want to play so we’ll try to have the right conversations and let them know what the position is.”