The inspirational midfielder, who often serves as a barometer for the feelings of the rest of the squad, describes the new Blues boss as a man who strikes fear, possesses an aura, is serious, but who is also able to retain a sense of humour.

Such an eclectic mix of characteristics will surely serve Chelsea well following the demise suffered towards the end of Luiz Felipe Scolari's reign, even if the Dutchman's tenure at Stamford Bridge is only due to last until the end of the season.

Russia manager Hiddink at least started his regime with Chelsea on the right footing with a 1-0 victory over an Aston Villa side that had previously not lost for 13 Barclays Premier League matches.

Although leapfrogging Villa into third place, they remain 10 points behind leaders Manchester United following the Reds' 2-1 win over Blackburn at Old Trafford yesterday.

If the league title is now beyond Chelsea, their holy grail of the Champions League is not, with that journey resuming this week with the visit to the Bridge of former Blues manager Claudio Ranieri's Juventus.

Hiddink's arrival is timely if Chelsea are to make progress, and it is clear from Lampard, he possesses all the right attributes if the club are to avoid a fruitless campaign.

"I'd never met him before working with him this past week, so it was interesting to see he is a very serious guy," assessed Lampard.

"It's important we have someone like that to help us move forward, but he also has a sense of humour, he relates to players, and I've been very impressed with what I've seen of him.

"In watching his Russian teams recently, they are technically very good, with a lot of movement and passing.

"In training we've worked very hard this week on passing the ball quickly, moving it, being organised, something we really needed."

Arguably unintentional, but the inference was clear in that under Scolari the Chelsea of old had lost their way.

Extending his respect to Hiddink, Lampard added: "I just see him as a very good coach.

"He has a certain aura about him, something that top managers and coaches have, certainly the best ones I've worked with have that.

"They have a sense of fear about them, and when they say even the smallest thing, it makes you realise things on the pitch. He's got that.

"He doesn't say too much, but when he says something, it really matters."

It would appear Chelsea have quickly rediscovered their belief under Hiddink, certainly their shape as Lampard explained.

"There was a little bit of the old Chelsea out there, that spirit, and the way we played," determined Lampard.

"We looked a bit more like ourselves. You could see the commitment in the lads, that never say die when Villa were throwing balls into the box.

"We also scored early and closed out the game, something we used to do regularly and it used to get on people's nerves because we could get those 1-0 wins away from home.

"That's something we've lost touch a little with this season. We've drawn too many games in a frustrating manner."

Although the result was an ideal one for Hiddink and to get Chelsea back on track, just as one swallow does not make a summer, so a 1-0 win at Villa does not mean all of the club's previous failings are behind them.

"There was a little feeling we would get the result we got," added Lampard, whose sublime footwork - earning him the nickname 'Twinkle Toes' from captain John Terry - set up Nicolas Anelka for the 19th-minute winner.

"We know we've not been performing to a standard we should have been of late, and it's up to us to put it right.

"We have to take the responsibility as players to improve, and the change in manager has given everyone a boost.

"Everyone has tried to prove themselves in the week in training, and we've carried it on into the game.

"But we've still a lot ahead of us over the next few weeks.

"If we want to push for the title, or to at least stay in the top four and push on, we need to put a long run of wins together.

"The attitude we showed in this game, we need to show it game in and game out.

"So this is only a start. There's no way we can get carried away and say 'we're back'."