Fernando Torres, who enjoyed one of his finest displays in a Chelsea shirt against Newcastle United at the weekend, believes his recent upturn in fortunes is simply down to playing regular first team football.

The Spanish striker, who scored our second goal in the 2-0 win, after earning the penalty which allowed Eden Hazard to give us the lead, has now netted three goals in four games. He is once again playing with a smile on his face, and there is little doubt that the team as a whole are reaping the rewards.

'My confidence is back because I'm playing more,' Torres said. 'When you play more often you are confident, and with the new players we've signed, the team are playing more attacking football.

'We know how strong we are when we need to defend, as we showed last season, and we now have two competitive ways we can play depending on the opposition.

'It is great to see players like Eden Hazard come here and it is a privilege to play with him and Juan Mata who are the kind of players who play between the lines.'

Ryan Bertrand, meanwhile, who has started two of our first three games on the left of midfield, has spoken of his enjoyment at playing in a side which, on the evidence thus far, are on the path to become the great entertainers.

The 23-year-old is developing an understanding with Ashley Cole on the left-hand side, and the duo were instrumental in nullifying the threat of Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa.

In what is a more unfamiliar position for Bertrand, though, he is being asked to contribute more going forward than defensively, and while he admitted it's taking time to adjust, he is clearly relishing his new role.

'It definitely is enjoyable playing with the likes of [Juan] Mata, Fernando and Eden [Hazard],' said Bertrand. 'The boys at the back and the midfield are giving us that structure and platform to play, so it's very enjoyable.

'I find I'm getting used to it as each game goes by, developing that relationship with Ash and telling my mind that I'm playing as a left midfielder rather than dropping too deep, but hopefully it's getting better with each game.

'We're just going to take each game as it comes and, at the end of the season, if we do well enough, I'm sure we'll be in amongst it.'