‘I’m Not Going To Smile Too Much At The League Table’ – Lampard Not Getting ‘Carried Away’ By Chelsea’s Position

The Blues boss has urged his side to maintain their recent consistency in order to keep pace with reigning champions Liverpool

Frank Lampard says he’s “not going to smile too much at the league table” as he resists the urge to get “carried away” by Chelsea’s current position.

Chelsea picked up their fifth successive win in all competitions by beating Newcastle 2-0 at St James’ Park on Saturday.

A Federico Fernandez own goal and a Tammy Abraham strike gave the Blues all three points on Tyneside, while goalkeeper Edouard Mendy recorded his fourth Premier League clean sheet since joining the club from Rennes in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea have risen to third in the standings after their latest victory, two points behind leaders Tottenham and reigning champions Liverpool with a huge showdown against the former up next on November 29.

Lampard is not paying much attention to talk of a possible title challenge just yet though, and has urged his side to prove they can maintain their recent consistency over the next few months.

“After eight or nine games, it would be very easy to get excited about being in a lofty position but I’m not going to smile too much at the league table,” the 42-year-old told the Blues’ official website.

“It’s nice to have three points when you’re the first game of the weekend but I knew the league table would change by the end of it.

“We can only worry about ourselves and our recent form has meant we’re in a decent position but doing that consistently over a big period is the next step for us now.

“The first port of call this year was to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool, who have set different levels of consistency and amassing points through a season.

“We are improving but we cannot get carried away with ourselves at this early stage. We have to try to reach those levels of consistency but I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”

Before Chelsea start preparing for next weekend’s London derby against Spurs, they must first negotiate a Champions League group-stage fixture against Rennes on Tuesday.

Lampard’s men can qualify for the knockout stages if they win at Roazhon Park and Sevilla secure either a draw or a victory away at Krasnodar, having already picked up seven points in Group E.

Source:- Goal