Chelsea captain, Cesar Azpilicueta, has admitted that he and his teammates are guilty of lacking the correct focus for home matches.
The skipper noted that teams are coming to Stamford Bridge holding no fear because of their recent home results against teams struggling towards the bottom of the table.
The Blues were handed a shock 2-0 defeat by Southampton yesterday as Frank Lampard's side struggled to break down the opposition who defended their box admirably and took their chances when they came.
"We haven't managed to score or win in the last couple of home games, and it's a big issue if we want to keep the consistency and stay where we want to be," Azpilicueta told Chelsea's website.
"The fans want us to perform and get results and we are not giving them that. It's true at home we face teams who sometimes sit back, more than when they play at home and we can find more space. But it's up to us to find a way.
"In the first half we shot once on target. In the second half we got the ball in the box, we went past a defender, but we didn't find the man in the box, or we didn't create the chance to get a goal. We are putting ourselves in difficulty.
"It's up to us to find always the consistency, the level to play home or away, against any team.
We know every game in the Premier League is very tough. When teams see you are losing points at home they come with more confidence. We have to recover this respect at home."
It will a back-to-back away games for Azpilicueta and Chelsea. First up is a trip to the Emirates on Sunday to face Arsenal, when the Blues will be seeking to channel the kind of performance that proved so effective in their last fixture on the road, at Tottenham.
"When you lose a game you want to bounce back as quickly as possible. We have to find a way to do so in two days' time. We have to react, but I have to be clear, we can't be the whole season up down, up down," Azpilicueta added.
"It's key in the second half of the season we recover our consistency, the solidity at home, and to keep growing as a team."
Comments