Frank Lampard expects Chelsea’s title credentials to be put to the test in the coming weeks — starting with tonight’s trip to Wolves.
A 17-game unbeaten run in all competitions was halted on Merseyside at the weekend when the Blues were beaten 1-0 by Everton at Goodison Park.
The Londoners missed the opportunity to move top of the table and now trail pacesetters Tottenham and Liverpool by three points.
Yet 42-year-old Lampard (pictured above) insists more time is needed to establish whether his side can genuinely challenge for the Premier League this term.
He said: "I kept saying when people were touting us as title contenders — after the Leeds game in particular — that I’ve always felt it’s a long race to win a Premier League.
"I did it as a player, so I understand lots of elements of it and there are lots of difficult moments you encounter along the way.
"One of those is losing a game and trying to bounce back very quickly.
"And then another is to sustain performances and sustain results over a period of time — particularly in busy periods like Christmas. So it’s on us to try to do these things.
"We’ve been on a really long unbeaten run, playing some really good football as well as winning games, and we dropped our level for a game.
"It’s absolutely on us to pick it up again straight away."
Opponents Wolves have suffered an unusually inconsistent start to their league campaign, winning five and losing five of their opening 12 games.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side went down to a narrow injury-time defeat against West Midlands rivals Aston Villa on Saturday — leaving them looking to avoid three straight Premier League defeats for the first time in more than two years.
The hosts are without key striker Raul Jimenez for an extended period after the Mexican fractured his skull last month, while Joao Moutinho is also absent through suspension.
Chelsea welcome back Christian Pulisic from a hamstring problem but remain without Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who both have minor knocks.
Did you know?
Since returning to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have lost four of the five games they have played where Jimenez has not started.
Visiting striker Tammy Abraham has six goals in four career league appearances against Wolves — including a hat-trick in a 5-2 win at Molineux last season.
After netting seven times in his previous seven outings, Blues forward Timo Werner is now without a goal in seven appearances.
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