With four consecutive wins following the Blues into this afternoon’s contest with the Black Cats, our head coach has reiterated the need for the squad to maintain our tireless effort and intensity as we bid to make it five from five.

After a tough spell in September, the Blues have fought back in style during the current month with victories in Europe against Benfica and Ajax coming either side of a pair of Premier League wins against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

We've scored 11 goals in those four games, with only two conceded, but will face a different challenge this afternoon when a compact and solid Sunderland arrive at the Bridge. The message from Maresca to his players remains the same: keep working hard, keep striving to improve.

‘The target with the players since day one is to try to work hard every day and to try to improve yourself,’ he opened, speaking before Sunderland's visit to SW6.

‘This is the only way to achieve something important. Last season, we were successful by winning the Conference League, the Club World Cup, and finishing in the top four in the Premier League.

‘This season it’s exactly the same: try to work hard, try to improve yourself, and this is how we improve things day by day. Then by the end of the season, we will see [what will be achieved].’

It’s a philosophy and a methodology Maresca applies not only to his players, but to himself.

He added: ‘I am like the players, I say this to them and I say the same to myself. Try to improve, analyse and study, and then hopefully we can achieve something important.’