Andre Villas-Boas suggests Frank Lampard may never regain automatic starting spot at Chelsea

"We decide on an 11 that is strong for any game and that can help us in the strategy to win the game.

"Frank has been decisive in the last couple of games, with the timing of his arrival in the box, to solve problems in the team."

Other players such as Florent Malouda and Alex have also made no secret of their desire to play first-team football, with the Brazilian defender set for a January move after handing in a transfer request.

And the manager conceded that it is hard to find a place for everyone, including Lampard.

"Frank, with the player he is and the history he represents, wants to be involved all the time, but every player is competing for a place.

"I've said the same all season, everyone is fighting to be in it, and a player of Frank's level has a shorter distance to travel to be in the team than others.

"But I have 24 players to count on. Players have different characteristics and your strategy depends on how you want to play the game.

"Other players might be better placed in certain games, or players might be in better form than others. We try different options at times.

"You have to respect players of magnitude who have reached lots of success.

"But players have to make judgements on the ones around them, in terms of freshness, availability, the recovery process, playing quality and physicality. It's normal that players feel it.

"Eventually, if that's the case, an up-front relationship would see them inform the manager and a decision would be made about whether they stay at the club."