Frank Lampard has warned his team-mates they must avoid any more slip-ups if they want to win the title.
Blues midfielder warns team-mates they must avoid slip-ups
Frank Lampard has warned his Chelsea team-mates that they must avoid any more slip-ups if they are to go on and win the Premier League.
The Blues recorded their third straight league victory on Saturday when they thumped Sunderland 7-2 to keep them one point ahead of Manchester United with a game in hand.
However, the midfielder is all too aware that Carlo Ancelotti's team have let advantages slip before this season, most notably after they defeated Arsenal 3-0 at Emirates Stadium in November.
Having comfortably beaten the Gunners and seemingly ending their title hopes in the process, Chelsea went on to win just one of their next five league games letting Arsenal back into the title race and Lampard is keen to avoid a repeat.
"We are confident of winning the title but we are realists," he said.
"Arsenal have won at the weekend and Manchester United are on our tails so we know that if we lose the standards that we have at the moment then we could lose everything.
"But we believe in ourselves, we have the right attitude and if we continue to play as we did against Sunderland then we have a very good chance of winning the league.
Dropped points
"In December we dropped points against teams that we really should have beat. Everton at home was down to sloppiness and we weren't at our best against West Ham and it's very important that we are in those kind of games.
"No disrespect to them but they are the big games.
"Beating the top teams is what has kept us at the top this season but we have to make sure that we just keep beating the mid-table teams as well."
Lampard believes Chelsea, without a league crown since 2006, have the right man at the helm to help bring the title back to Stamford Bridge and sees likenesses between Ancelotti and former temporary boss Guus Hiddink.
"Ancelotti and Hiddink are similar," he added. "They are very easy to work for. (Ancelotti) is very relaxed around the training ground and on match days even.
"They are very tactically aware. They are both very enjoyable to work for. The transition has been seamless.
"He has changed the formation and the way we play but the way he has worked with the players has left everyone comfortable and with the squad we have if everyone is comfortable then we are going to play our best football."
