Chelsea 2-0 Bournemouth: The one that wasn't on Boxing Day

Mason Mount making it look easy

As kick-off edged closer on Tuesday afternoon I was filled with a mixture of both excitement and sheer dread. With the World Cup breaking up the season it had been weeks seeing Chelsea in action. With the form they were in and injuries that had accumulated - the shocking backhanded decision by FIFA to hold this farce was probably for the best. It gave Graham Potter the opportunity to properly work with his inherited players - at least the ones who didn't jet off to Qatar.

Burnley 0-4 Chelsea: The One Reece James returned

Reece James x Kai Havertz

Three Premier League matches. Three wins. Across three months. Chelsea have finally put together a decent run of form in the Premier League, but with it spanning across 42 days, it doesn't exactly feel like it. The Blues have tightened their grip on third place opening up a gap on Man United following their disasterclass at the Etihad.

Chelsea 4-0 Morecambe: The one where Kepa kept a clean sheet

Everyone needs Mason Mount in their lives 

When the lineups dropped on Saturday ahead of kick-off, the crazy once again erupted out of some of you. I'm not going to say it's the same ones who've been calling for Frank Lampard's head and think we should be winning the league with a new squad by Christmas. But probably those people. The issue this time appeared to be that youth had been abandoned for a strong team. How dare 'youngsters' not get a chance against League Two's Morecambe.

I'm going to let out a sigh and have a coffee and address how problematic this is - beyond clogging up my Twitter timeline with a bunch of whingers who will literally never be happy with Chelsea. And probably with life.

Chelsea 3-0 Rennes: The one that Edouard Mendy faced his former club

Did it surprise anyone else that this was the first time in ten years that Chelsea have kept five consecutive clean sheets? Ten years! I appreciate over the last 14 months, Chelsea have had their moments at the back. But it seems unfathomable that over the last decade the club have not put together a proper run of clean sheets.

Chelsea 3-3 Southampton: The one that went from Oktoberfest to quite a mess

Dominated possession. Struck early. Had the game under control. Individual costly errors. Points dropped. Sound familiar? It should. Not because it happened against a stubborn Southampton side, but because it just keeps happening again and again. In five of the last 10 games that Chelsea either drew or lost, they scored first. Failure to kill these sorts of games off will certainly keep them out of the title race, if not the top four if individual errors aren't quickly phased out.

Frank Lampard is still a very young manager in terms of experience. He has just two full seasons managing a club, and only one at Premier League level. There's going to be a learning curve. And with the pulling power he has with talent and the enthusiasm that he boosts both players and fans with, it's inconceivable that he won't be a success. But, it will take time. Patience is a virtue, unless you're a reactionary knob on Twitter.

Chelsea 6-0 Barnsley: The one King Kai scored his first ever hat-trick

If ever there was a perfect tonic for a slightly de-moralising defeat, it would be playing lower league opposition. In the Cup. At Stamford Bridge. Occasionally those teams will rock up with a swash-buckling swagger infused from the freedom of lack of expectation. This was not one of those times.

Not to undermine anyone's performance on Wednesday night, but Barnsley did offer as much help as possible. Four of their players were dinged with errors that led directly to goal. If felt as if they were trying to get the match over with as quickly as possible - forgetting that in fact, they would have to play out the full ninety no matter the scoreline.

For anyone worried about what would happen to the youngsters that won over hearts last season for Chelsea with all these new faces need not worry. Tammy Abraham showed not only was he able to rise to the challenge but integrate virtually seamlessly with some of the new faces. He may have opened the scoring but it was his link up play with Kai Havertz that really stood out. Which should give Frank Lampard more attacking headaches options than he may have anticipated.

Brighton 1-3 Chelsea: The one with a lot of new faces

There's always something terribly exciting about the first game of a new season. It's not just a clean slate, an opportunity to put the sins of the previous season behind us. It's a moment of hope and re-connection. Most seasons there is a  brilliant first day of school vibe in the stands. Supporters who spend the season together shoulder to shoulder, sharing the highs and lows of every one of those 90 minutes get to see one another again. Often spending a summer apart there's a chance to catch up on one another's lives before quickly decompressing the transfers and expectations for the season ahead.

The start of this season was never going to be like any other. Fans are still relegated to watching behind a screen and will have to wait to see the familiar faces and the sounds that make the match going experience what it really is. Like much of the last six months, we will persevere and make the most of it - but football won't ever be quite the same until fans can watch together.