Chelsea 4-1 Norwich
Coach Di Matteo’s reactions:
On the team’s performance
‘I thought it was excellent. We played some fantastic football, created a lot of chances and maybe could have scored a couple more.
‘Every team makes it difficult for you. They are fighting for points and so are we, and after we went 1-0 down it was crucial to get the equaliser quickly. From there we never looked back and scored the second and third in the first half.
‘I always said we have a good squad and I’m utilising it. We’ve not seen much of Cesar Azpilicueta or Oriol Romeuwho will get more time after the international break. We’ve got Marin coming back and Daniel Sturridge has been injured. We’ve got options and so far we’ve been lucky with injuries but after the break it is a busy fixture list and we will refresh the team a little bit.
‘It seems at the moment they are enjoying playing football, that’s what they love doing and they are lucky people to be able to do this as a job. We can only try and continue this momentum and form, and that will help everybody involved going forward.
‘We have a philosophy we are aiming to play and at the moment the team is in healthy form, we are creating lots of chances and scoring lots of goals, with different goalscorers. It’s a team that’s in good shape.
‘I think we’re just pleased that we go into this international break top of the Barclays Premier League.
‘We’ll keep chipping away and try to win as many points as we can. I still think Manchester City and Manchester United will still be up there.’
On Ashley Cole and John Terry, who have both had external pressures owing to Terry’s FA charge and Cole’s tweet on Friday
‘I think the results are telling us we are able to blank things out surrounding us externally and we can focus on our aim and target and job to win football games. It shows how professional the group is.
‘I speak to my players all the time, so it’s not just because of these issues. I have very good conversations on a weekly basis so there was no special talk. I judge them on what I see on the pitch and the training ground, and they are fully focused and professional.
‘We’ve got a social media policy in the club and there will be disciplinary action. That’s how we will leave it. I did speak to Ashley, but that’s a private conversation. You saw his reaction yesterday, he apologised unreservedly.
‘I’m in favour of the social media entities. They just have to be used sensibly, but I’m not against it. It’s the world we live in and as long as it’s used responsibly it’s a good way to communicate. If they breach a rule we have there is going to be consequences.’
On Lampard, who was withdrawn with a niggle in the second half
‘Lampard felt a little problem behind his knee so as a precaution we took him off. We’ll assess him tomorrow and see [if he will report for England duty].’
On Mata, who was not included in the Spain squad for this week’s games
‘I am surprised and I am very happy that he stays with me. I feel for him because he’s in great form. I don’t know the reasons why but we as a club are happy he is going to be with us.’
