Big Match Preview
Chelsea vs Man United
Sunday 8 Nov, 4pm
Sky Sports 1/HD1

Glad to be back playing again, Joe?
I’m buzzing – what else is there to do on a Saturday afternoon? I’ve had nine months of sitting on my backside watching, so being back is like a breath of fresh air.

Do you like playing at the tip of Carlo Ancelotti’s new diamond formation?
Yeah. I think that my best position is a more central role. At the moment, everything attacking goes through Frank Lampard. I want to go in there and help him out. Chelsea means such a lot to me and I want to be the heart and soul of the team.

Are this weekend’s visitors still your biggest title rivals?
I think they always are, aren’t they? Last season Man United got the better of us and we needed to find a way to catch them up.

Is this the season you do that?
We’re playing well under Mr Ancelotti. There’s a real confidence in the squad and the table doesn’t lie. We finished seven points behind United last season and they are still the team to beat.

You’re playing well enough…
Yeah, we have a great set of lads and our manager’s world class. I know it’s early days, but psychologically things are very good.

Is the Champions League still the club’s main priority, though?
People talk about the Champions League being the Holy Grail for Chelsea but, for me, the bread and butter is winning the Premier League again. The best team always wins the League but it doesn’t always win the Champions League.