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Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has proclaimed that, while clashes at the top of the table early in the season may yet prove decisive, winning does breed confidence in the club, and the shape of the team.
The Blues, who currently sit atop the Premier League, play Arsenal on Sunday, and should the Stamford Bridge side secure maximum points, they will further distance themselves from the chasing pack.
He told the Independent: "In the past I had the opinion that you could lose a big game to a big team and it doesn't decide the title, but winning gives you a massive confidence for the next weeks.
"If you beat Manchester United or Liverpool, you know the team worked well, you are in good shape, you beat the best team, you can beat the best teams in the league. It gives a sign to the other clubs but also to yourself. It is a big, big point in the season."
Meanwhile, the Germany international added his experience in London is yet to live up to his initial ambition. The former Bayern Munich talisman wanted to lift the Champions League with the west Londoners; something he - and the rest of the Blues - came agonisingly close to in 2008.
He added: "I knew what to expect. To come to a great, experienced team, I did not expect it goes like this, easy, to win the league every year. The other teams are too strong for this. I came here to win trophies. To win the Champions League, that's why I came here. There is still a big chance with Chelsea, with this team.
"There is a really, really high expectation from everybody but it
starts with the owner and it goes down to the staff, the coaches, to
fans, to sponsors.
"That's why we changed a lot of managers in the past few years. If you see the games we have played, especially in the Champions League, I think we deserved to have won it once, at least. But we haven't done it so it is still the target and we are close to it."
Alan Dawson, Goal.com UK
