By Daily Sports on January 1, 1970

Chelsea head into their Premier League fixture with Bournemouth looking to strengthen their position in the top four of the standings.

However, the Blues have recorded just three points from a possible 12, while the Cherries have suffered five successive defeats in the top flight.

When Chelsea put together a six-match winning streak in the Premier League earlier this season, Frank Lampard would have felt that his relatively young squad were progressing fluidly along the right path.

However, three top-flight defeats in four games and only scrapping through to the last 16 of the Champions League have acted as a wake-up call to the Blues, who are now under pressure to perform in both competitions.

While there is an equal amount of excitement and trepidation about the prospect of facing one of European football's big-hitters in February, Lampard is aware that he needs to witness some kind of consistency on the domestic scene for the club to have a realistic chance of going further in that tournament.

The former midfielder will hope that lessons are learned from the manner of their 2-1 win over Lille in midweek, a game which should have been over before the French outfit found a way back into the contest.

There have been times this season when the West Londoners have blown away their opponents, only to show similar lapses of concentration which have ultimately not hurt them in terms of points.

Facing a Bournemouth side short of confidence is arguably the perfect chance for Chelsea to live up to their manager’s expectations, although Eddie Howe will also feel the same about his team's efforts to overturn a negative period of results.

Since overcoming Manchester United at the start of November, the South Coast outfit have failed to record any points from their last five matches. (Sports Mole)

•PHOTO: Chelsea and Bournemouth players

Source Daily Sports

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