Midfielder Cesc Fabregas is hopeful that he has managed to establish himself as a regular for Chelsea once again.
Fabregas saw very little playing time during the initial stages of the season under Antonio Conte and it was speculated at the time that the Spaniard could potentially leave Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window.
Over the last few months though, Fabregas has seen his involvement on the pitch increase dramatically and after playing a key role in helping Chelsea claim a victory over Swansea City on the weekend, the 29-year-old is eyeing more starting appearances during the upcoming fixtures.
The Spanish international said: "I know sometimes I didn't play as much, but even in training I'm learning.
"Sometimes you think if you've been playing for a long time, won a lot, you've done everything - and then you realise in football you can never know everything.
"Hopefully I've reversed the situation from the beginning of the season. I decided I wanted to challenge myself. Not everything comes easy in life, sometimes you have to fight certain situations you are not used to and hopefully I can keep playing like that to keep my place.
"I can understand there are doubts with the philosophy of the manager. He came in, wanted to see if I could adapt and I can understand that. I'm someone who wants to play with the ball, maybe not so much the defensive side. But it shows I adapted to the way he wants to play and hopefully I can play more.
"Experience and maturity gives you this because in the beginning when I didn't play, I told people not even to speak to me because I was really upset. That changes with time. Age, maturity and experience helps you understand the most important thing is always the team.
"Don't get me wrong, I want to play, but sometimes you have to fight for it. The easy way is to escape, to run away, to sulk and to want to leave, to create a drama.
"What keeps me going is the fact that I feel really good, I feel in great condition to play football for a very long time I know in my legs, in my mind, that I've played many more games than a 29-year-old is supposed to play.
"But I feel young in my mind. It's all in the mind. Now with Conte, I'm learning new things, new situations, new manners, new football, new philosophy which makes a difference. It makes it entertaining."
