Ryan Bertrand is hoping to make the most of a rare chance to catch the eye for Chelsea, allowing him to stake a claim for a more regular role.
Blues full-back hoping to earn regular role
Ryan Bertrand is hoping to make the most of a rare chance to catch the eye for Chelsea, allowing him to stake a claim for a more regular role.
The England U21 international is expected to be drafted in to Roberto Di Matteo's starting XI on Sunday for an FA Cup quarter-final clash with Leicester.
Despite being considered good enough to represent his country, Bertrand has struggled to get a look in at domestic level.
He faces the unenviable task of trying to dislodge Ashley Cole from the Chelsea first-team, and even when the experienced full-back has been missing he has not always been called upon.
Past Blues bosses have preferred to play the likes of Jose Bosingwa and Paulo Ferreira out of position, rather than gamble on Bertrand.
Pleased
He is planning on changing all of that, though, with it his opinion that he can become a valuable asset to the club if he is given a chance to prove what he is capable of.
Bertrand told Chelsea's
official website: "I was pleased with my performances in the Birmingham games, and hopefully I will get the opportunity against Leicester on Sunday to show what I can do again.
"I've noticed in the last couple of games, people said to me that I did well.
"But, in myself, I thought there were a couple of things I needed to brush up on.
"That all comes if I'm playing regularly. I just have to deal with the situation and try to keep sharp for when I'm called upon."
Positive
Should Chelsea see off Leicester this weekend, they will book a day out at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.
With the Blues having also progressed through to the last eight of the UEFA Champions League, there is every chance that a season which was in danger of collapse a few weeks ago could produce a fairytale ending.
"If you look at the season and where we've been, we're now only one game away from a semi-final in the FA Cup and one tie away from a semi-final in the Champions League," Bertrand said.
"We've got some big games coming up, which will give us a chance to claw back a good league position as well, so it's all looking good.
"But we need to take each game as it comes and keep digging in and getting the right results."
