Wilkins warns rivals
Ray Wilkins expects Chelsea to see in 2009 in style after watching them dispatch West Bromwich Albion 2-0.
Victory left the Blues just a point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and they could end the year top of the table if they beat west London rivals Fulham on Sunday and the Reds slip up against Newcastle.
Chelsea hardly had to break sweat in sweeping aside Tony Mowbray's bottom-of-the-table team, cruising to victory here at Stamford Bridge on Friday thanks to an early strike from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard's effort in first-half injury time.
A polished performance suggested Chelsea have banished the doubts which have bedevilled them at Stamford Bridge for much of the campaign.
Wilkins, the Blues assistant manager, has warned the club's title rivals to expect more of the same in the New Year, when Chelsea hope to welcome back several key players.
Drogba is set to feature more regularly for Luiz Felipe Scolari's side, having made just two league starts in an injury and suspension-ravaged season, and is likely to be unleashed again at Fulham.
Defender Ricardo Carvalho, meanwhile, has been pencilled in to return for the FA Cup tie with Southend on 3 January after recovering from injury.
With new signings also expected to arrive in the January transfer window - CSKA Moscow striker Wagner Love is a long-standing target - Chelsea could soon be back to their formidable best - a prospect which excites Wilkins.
"Competition is what big clubs are all about," said former Chelsea captain Wilkins.
"The competition is already there to a great extent but that will rise even more as players return and that will help the performance levels rise.
"It's vitally important to have everyone fit and firing. The squad is fuller now than it has been for most of the time this season and that gives us lots of options to explore all over the pitch."
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