The defender has prior experience of vying with Europe’s elite from his first two seasons in our senior team. But he, like all of us, had to wait a couple of years before we were competing with the best again. That stung Chalobah, an Academy graduate accustomed to watching the Blues compete in the latter stages of the competition.

Chalobah more than played his part as we righted that wrong last term, securing our place on Europe’s top table by finishing fourth in the Premier League. And now - three games, two wins and a defeat to Bayern Munich later – Chalobah explains what is required of the Blues in the Champions League.

‘We played well against Bayern, the scoreline didn’t show that, but that’s the level we want to be at,’ he says.

‘We had moments where we knew we could match them, but it was tough. You could clearly see the quality. We’re going into every game knowing it’s going to be difficult.

‘The Champions League is where we want to be. This is what we were fighting for last season. Now we’ve got to grab it with both hands and enjoy it. Hopefully it will be a good ride.’

It has been a positive campaign so far for the 26-year-old, who has not missed a minute of league action besides the game against Liverpool he was suspended for. ‘I want to try and stay consistent and be there for the team and when the manager calls upon me,’ Chalobah says. He has featured in every Champions League game so far, too.

Our next assignment is in Baku, the scene of our Europa League triumph in 2019. Chalobah watched that win over Arsenal on television, fresh from a successful loan spell at Ipswich Town. Tomorrow he wants to stamp his own mark on the Azeri capital by helping the Blues beat Qarabag, who like us have won two of their opening three Champions League games.

‘Every game is going to be tough so we have to be ready for that. If they’ve qualified for the Champions League, it’s something big. It means they’ve done really well to get to where they are.

‘The Champions League is where we want to be at Chelsea and this is where we want to stay - so we have to show the levels.’

When asked if regular Champions League qualification was something the players had discussed among themselves, Chalobah added: 'Yeah, that was our goal last season and we achieved it. Now, it's the same again, to go in the competition and hopefully do well. Obviously, next season as well, we want to be in it every year. That's the goal.'