Chelsea: Frank Lampard's best team discussed by pundits
Frank Lampard is beginning to settle on his best Chelsea XI and it's no coincidence that has happened following the return of Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan missed the start of the campaign after picking up a knee injury in pre-season at Brighton, when he made his first appearance in a Blues shirt.
During his absence, Chelsea lacked balance in attack as Lampard looked to shoehorn all of the Blues' attacking talent.
We are yet to see the same Christian Pulisic we saw in the final stages of last season due to injury but Ziyech has stepped up to the plate in recent weeks.
He put on a masterclass in the recent 4-1 win over Sheffield United and is helping bring the best from his team-mates.
Ziyech's form makes him a guaranteed starter at the moment with Lampard in no position to drop him to the bench.
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Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva also form the base of Chelsea's new spine and there are no doubts that they're Chelsea's first-choice centre-back pairing now.
The Blues have stopped leaking goals since Kepa Arrizabalaga and Andreas Christensen were absconded from the side.
Silva's involvement is somewhat limited though as Lampard looks to preserve his energy.
At 36, the Brazilian is unable to play every match with the games coming thick and fast due to the unique nature of this season's fixture scheduling.
Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech is undroppable due to his sensational form (Image: GETTY)
He may not speak English but his leadership has already had a major impact on Chelsea's solidity at the back.
N'Golo Kante remains an ever presence at the base of midfield and the Frenchman is back to his best after brushing aside last season's injury worries.
In attack, Timo Werner is already Chelsea's main man and looks settled following his £47m move from RB Leipzig.
The 24-year-old has eight goals to his name in 12 appearances for his new club and already looks at home in west London.
With Liverpool unable to replicate last season's form, there is no reason why Chelsea cannot challenge for the title permitting they continue to perform at this level.