Frank Lampard has dismissed suggestions Chelsea’s squad is past it – and is adamant there is more to come from the Barclays Premier League champions.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have started the new campaign the way they finished the last one with three successive victories, including 6-0 demolitions of both West Brom and Wigan while they are yet to concede a goal.

Much has been made of the age of the Blues’ senior men, such as Lampard, 32, captain John Terry, 29, and striker Didier Drogba, who will be 33 in March.

However, England midfielder Lampard – who is currently sidelined by a hernia problem which forced him out of tonight’s opening Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria at Wembley (England 1.25, Bulgaria 12.00, draw 5.50 Full Time Result) – rejects any suggestions the Chelsea players are over the hill.

Speaking to the October edition of the club’s official magazine, Lampard declared: “It is a load of rubbish when I hear talk about there only being one or two years left in our spine. This has been going on for a year or so.

Every year I set my goals again, I don’t lose any ambition or drive.

Frank Lampard

“Sometimes that is mind games from other managers or press talk and we proved them wrong last year.

“We have got players here who are experienced and you can’t buy experience in football – look at Didier, he is a specimen and he will overpower any 24 or 25-year-old.

“People have been waxing lyrical about Paul Scholes, and rightly so, because if you take him out of the United team now, they will want to replace him and they probably won’t be able to.”

Lampard may have a trophy cabinet full of honours, but the former West Ham trainee maintains he is hungry for even more success.

“Every year I set my goals again, I don’t lose any ambition or drive,” Lampard insisted.

“I would love to win the Champions League one day, but I would love to win more Premier League titles as well, so it’s quite easy to self-motivate.

“I think also that, the older you get, the more you appreciate what you have got as a footballer.

“I think it’s one of my strong points that I always want to do more because you don’t play forever.

“If I can keep my level up to the way I am playing now I believe I can go on playing for many more years.”

With 14 goals from the opening three Premier League matches, things are certainly going to plan for Chelsea, who saw experienced midfielders Joe Cole and Michael Ballack leave the club on free transfers during the summer.

“I think our game feels more natural now – you can see that from the way we finished last season and started this one,” Lampard reflected.

“Don’t get me wrong, we had difficult moments last season when it wasn’t flowing, but it became more natural to us and after winning the Double and celebrating that, I think we came back here in the summer wanting to step up again to another level.”

Lampard paid tribute to Ancelotti, who delivered the club a historic Double in his first season.

“The manager is very involved – his method, his training, his personality and his calmness is something the players have related to more and more over the last year or so and that’s making us stronger as a unit,” the midfielder said.

You can back Chelsea to win the Premier League 2010/11 at odds of 2.20, while it’s 6.00 for the Blues to win the UEFA Champions League in 2011.

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Chelsea winger Florent Malouda claims Chelsea deserve more credit for their attacking football which has seen them score 12 goals already.

The defending champions have started the new season in superb fashion with six goals in both their opening two wins against West Brom and Wigan.

Chelsea set a new Premier League record of 103 goals last season and Malouda is miffed as to why Carlo Ancelotti’s men are not regarded as entertaining as Arsenal or Manchester United.

Malouda believes that Chelsea’s play has stepped up to a whole new level and that they have demonstrated the quality they possess already this season.

“It is difficult to know why people still seem to think Arsenal and United play the best football,” said Malouda. “Even when we finished on top of Arsenal, people said they played better than us.

“If you want to win the league, you have to be efficient, but when you look at how many goals we are scoring, you surely have to recognise there is real quality about us.

“The manager has worked at making sure we control games and you are seeing an evolution in our play. We are keeping more clean sheets but also scoring a lot more goals.

“It is not enough for us now just to go 1-0 up. We have developed a killer instinct and want to finish teams off. There are goals throughout this team and if there is an opportunity to kill a game off, we take it.

“We’ll never go easy on teams and it is great for confidence to know just about everyone in the squad is capable of scoring goals.”

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has called on his players to rekindle the spirit of last September’s shock defeat of Chelsea, as his side prepare to face Carlo Ancelotti’s men at the DW stadium tonight.

Following their shameful 4-0 defeat to Premier League new boys Blackpool last weekend, a visit from the champions seems a daunting prospect for the deflated Wigan players.

It will be a very big test but we are excited.

Roberto Martinez

The two sides last met on the final day of last season where Chelsea recorded an emphatic 8-0 victory, but Martinez has boldly claimed the visit of Chelsea offers his side the perfect opportunity to kickstart their season.

Full Time Result betting for the clash has Wigan at 13.00 to get the win, Chelsea are available at 1.25 while the draw is 5.50.

Martinez said: “That was a key win because it was the first one in the club’s history against one of the top four. It wasn’t just one win against Chelsea.

“I think in the manner of it everyone agreed we deserved to win.

“There aren’t many teams that get in that situation against Chelsea.

“This season they have hit form straight away. They have just beaten West Brom 6-0. We will have to be at our very best and it will be a very big test but we are excited.

“We want to be on the pitch and we are going to flush away our disappointment.

“It is about the performance, the reaction, and it is a game that can’t come quickly enough.”

Martinez will consider recalling winger Charles N’Zogbia despite continuing speculation over the newly-capped France international’s future.

Aston Villa are the latest club to be linked with N’Zogbia, who was left out by Martinez last week.

N’Zogbia could replace Victor Moses, who is out with a calf injury, after training as usual this week.

Martinez says he has been pleased with the reaction of his all players in training as they come to terms with their Blackpool nightmare.

He said: “Now it is a matter of getting on the pitch and making sure our fans give us the starting point we always need at home, so we can make them proud once more.

“We are a group of players with huge desire to win football games.

“They were very hurt and they really care about what they do on a football pitch.

“I know the fans were hurt and disappointed, as we all were, but now is the time to get rid of that hurt and frustration.”

It’s 2.20 that Wigan get relegated from the Premier League this season.

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Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti says Nicolas Anelka has never caused him a moment’s bother and has blasted the FFF for giving him an 18-match ban.

The 31-year-old received the draconian suspension, which applies to France games only, after being sent home from the World Cup following a reported bust-up with coach Raymond Domenech.

Anelka, who has played for nine clubs in 12 years, has a reputation for being a sulky player who can be disruptive and difficult to handle.

But Ancelotti does not recognise that description of his striker.

“He is a very good man. I have never had a problem with him,” said Ancelotti.

“I was very surprised at this behaviour during the World Cup. If I have to think of one player who would shout at me, Anelka would be the last.

“He likes his job, he loves football. He has fantastic skills but he doesn’t like publicity and he has character. He never missed training last year.

“I think it was unfair for him – 18 games is too much. Anelka is an honest man and he didn’t deserve the decision. He has reacted very well. He has taken it with good spirit.”

Anelka blasted the FFF as “clowns” and laughed off the ban, insisting he had already retired from international football.

“It is good news for myself because he can stay here to train during the international break, he can maintain a good condition,” said Ancelotti.

Anelka was not the only Stamford Bridge star to endure a difficult summer – but there was no World Cup hangover as Chelsea opened the season with a 6-0 thumping of West Brom.

It was a case of picking up where they left off last season.

Roman Abramovich wanted entertaining football and Ancelotti has delivered, with Chelsea scoring a record 103 goals on their way to the title.

Chelsea bagged seven on three occasions last year before rounding off the campaign an 8-0 thrashing of Wigan.

The two sides meet again at the DW Stadium on Saturday and the omens do not look good for Wigan.

Ancelotti is anxious for Chelsea to set the Premier League pace from the outset, while Wigan head into the game on the back of a 4-0 defeat to newly-promoted Blackpool.

“We will try to arrive for the game (against Manchester City on September) on top of the table,” said Ancelotti.

“It is very important we make a good start, not just one game. Last year we won the first six games in the league and we want to do the same.

“In those first six games we grew our confidence and it was very important.”

But Ancelotti was anxious to temper expectations that Chelsea will blast in six goals every week, insisting solidity at the back will be just as important and reminding that Chelsea’s first defeat of last season was against Wigan at the DW Stadium.

“I will be happy if we win 1-0. It is important to keep a clean sheet. Winning 6-0 or 7-0 every week is not football,” he said.

“It is important to win and to play well. We have to pay attention. The last game at Wigan we lost 3-1.

“We have to prepare well for this game and be right mentally. They caused us a lot of problems there last season, it was our first defeat, and we want to continue our good start to the season.”

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti believes Nicolas Anelka’s 18 match international ban will only prove to be a boost to his club form.

Ancelotti insisted Anelka has been harshly treated by the French Football Federation but was looking forward to the striker now just concentrating on his domestic responsibilities.

Anelka, 31, received the suspension after being sent home from the World Cup following a reported bust-up with the then-France coach Raymond Domenech.

The Chelsea striker blasted the FFF as “clowns” and laughed off the ban, insisting he had already retired from international football.

Ancelotti said: “I think it was unfair for him – 18 games is too much.

“I don’t know what happened there but Anelka is an honest man and he didn’t deserve the decision.

“It is good news for myself because he can stay here to train during the international break, he can maintain a good condition.

“But for him it is not good news because every player wants to play in the national team.

“But Anelka has reacted very well. He has taken it with good spirit.”

Ancelotti will be hoping his striker is fully focused ahead of this weekend’s trip to Wigan with the Blues looking to build on their opening day 6-0 thrashing of West Bromwich Albion.

Chelsea are currently 1.22 to pick up the three points at the DW Stadium, with Wigan 15.00 and the draw 6.00.

Ancelotti is anxious for Chelsea to set the Premier League pace from the outset – but he has also tried to temper expectations that tomorrow’s trip to Wigan will be a walkover.

The Italian reminded Chelsea their first defeat of last season was at the DW Stadium.

Ancelotti said: “It is very important we make a good start, not just one game. Last year we won the first six games in the league and we want to do the same.

“I will be happy if we win 1-0. It is important to keep a clean sheet. Winning 6-0 or 7-0 every week is not football.

“It is important to win and to play well. We have to pay attention. The last game at Wigan we lost 3-1.

“We have to prepare well for this game and be right mentally. They caused us a lot of problems there last season, it was our first defeat, and we want to continue our good start to the season.

“They started the season badly and lost at home against Blackpool. They will want to be strong and have power tomorrow to produce a different game.”

Chelsea are 2.62 to retain their Premier League title, while Wigan can be backed at 1.61 to avoid relegation.

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