Avram Grant still believes Arsenal remain a title threat despite
last Sunday's 2-1 victory over the Gunners at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea face Middlesbrough at home on Sunday hoping to cement
their position behind leaders Manchester United at the top of the
table - but Grant is not expecting an easy ride with just seven
games remaining.
His preparations have been obstructed by an injury to John Terry
and an illness to his England team-mate Frank Lampard.
Lampard has yet to train since returning from England duty but
Terry should be fit to face Gareth Southgate's side after
overcoming a hamstring problem.
However, Grant is remaining cautious as Chelsea prepare for the
title run-in.
'We might drop points on the way,' said Grant. 'We need to go
game by game.
'Middlesbrough drew at Arsenal last time, so we need to do our
job. It won't be easy. But I don't think Arsenal are out of the
race.
'You need to keep your players focused all the time, especially
now when you're coming up to the last games. We've done a good job
up to now.
'We were many points behind Arsenal and now we're above them.
But they're still in the race. That's my opinion. Not even one team
will take all the points.
'Frank Lampard is not feeling so well. He didn't train today but
we'll see tomorrow. John Terry trained and I think he'll be
okay.
'We have a game every three days for the next few weeks. We're
not just thinking about the next game, but other aspects like
physical condition. We have to think like that.'
Grant was criticised by the Chelsea fans during the win over
Arsenal for taking off Michael Ballack and Claude Makelele and
replacing them with Juliano Belletti and Nicolas Anelka.
The crowd chanted 'you don't know what you're doing' and Ballack
stormed off down the tunnel - clearly unhappy at his removal from
the action.
But Grant insists he has no problem with either Ballack or the
reaction of the supporters.
Grant added: 'People like to look at the negatives. Many, many
supporters of Chelsea support the club and even support me.
'If others think otherwise, it doesn't affect me. I have to do
my job. I do the tactical side, what I have to do in the condition
of the players. I don't hear any other noises. I think I need to do
my job, not pay attention to things from outside.
'You do what you think can win you the game. Even Makelele was
playing well last week but we needed to change things to win the
game.
'That's what happens. The players respect it. If they had a
problem, I'd take care of it. It's inside the club (with Ballack's
reaction). If there is a problem, I'll deal with it.'
soccernet
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sob sob... unlike jose m, tis grant is actually one of managers
who is very gracious. 
