Blues manager Frank Lampard has watched his team lose successively to Everton and Wolves, and he needs to boost his players up ahead of Monday\u2019s derby with West Ham.<\/p>\n
Lampard has directed his stars not to let a small stutter impede their title race charge when Chelsea host West Ham next after suffering surprise back-to-back defeats against Wolves and Everton as he insists his previously in-form outfit have no reason to suddenly lose faith in their ability to challenge for the biggest prize in the English game.<\/p>\n
The three-time Premier League winner as a Chelsea player, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe confidence has to remain because we were playing very well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe table is very tight, we\u2019re much closer to the top than we were last year, so we just need to remind ourselves a little bit of all the great things we were doing before those games.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s of massive importance. It\u2019s going to be a test of the players and a test of myself – because it\u2019s my job first to pick the players up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could say we were in great form and we just dropped off a level in two games and got punished.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe basic demands of football – high-speed runs, sprints and being competitive – we dropped our level 15 or 20 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lampard admits senior players such as Thiago Silva are vital in ensuring an otherwise relatively-young squad keeps its morale high.<\/p>\n
He added:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll always take the first responsibility, it\u2019s important to say that. But there\u2019s obviously an element of collective about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe realism is we are not a Liverpool of last year or a Manchester City of the year before where you can just go out and win, win, win, win, win.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be ready for some tough moments.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"