Frank Lampard has insisted he has no concerns about Chelsea’s record against sides in the top half of the table.
Prior to beating West Ham on Monday, the Blues had not got the better of a side which started the day in the top half of the table.
Furthermore, the Blues have struggled for goals against teams in the top half - drawing blanks against Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton.
Lampard, though, feels it is nonsense to suggest his side have issues when playing against teams in the upper echelon of the division.
"I read about that stat a lot pre-West Ham and I think this year has shown that the balance of the Premier League has changed,” Lampard told Sky Sports. “Anybody can beat anybody, whether you're at the top or at the bottom.
"Leeds were in the bottom half when we played them, and that was a really tough match. They've given some big teams some really tough matches.
“I think it's a bit of a red herring as a stat to look at games against the top half compared to the bottom half of the table."
The Blues head into their meeting with Arsenal, a team Lampard says are filled with class, on Boxing Day sat fifth in the table - six points behind leaders Liverpool.
Lampard feels his side are making progress, but says more needs to be done if they are to be seen as title challengers.
"I'm happy but we always want more as managers," Lampard said. “I'm pretty happy but we want more.
“We want to be challenging for titles, but we have to accept sometimes that it's step by step. We've made some steps, but I feel we have the potential to make a lot more.
"It's about making continual improvement and that is important for focus.
"It's hard [to set a target]. It's clear I ask them every year to kick on - in my job, that's what you have to do all the time, no matter what your situation. Coming fourth for us was a positive last year considering the circumstances around it but every year looks different and every squad improves around us.”
