Gudjohnsen to reignite Chelsea's trophy fire

Chelsea's leading striker Eidur Gudjohnsen wants to return the club to winning ways after two draws in the last week robbed the club's trophy charge of some of its momentum.

Jose Mourinho's men were held at home by Bolton in the Premiership last weekend and by Paris St-Germain in the Champions' League on Wed-nesday, and the Blues now face a tricky trip to Charlton tomorrow.

Last season Chelsea were thumped 4-2 by the Addicks on Boxing Day and Gudjohnsen is under no illusions about the difficulties of facing them as his sidetry to increase their lead at the summit of the Premiership.

Chelsea follow their trip to Charlton with a visit to Craven Cottage for a League Cup quarter-final but Gudjohnsen does not believe it will distract them from their main aim.

The Iceland striker said: "I don't think the League Cup is a distraction for us. We showed that when we played Newcastle away how much we wanted to win that game.

"We are in that competition to win it. There are different opinions about that cup but we take it very seriously. The manager has made that very clear to people in the dressing-room and on the outside.

"We are only two games away from a final and a final of any cup is always going to be a great day and a great atmosphere. We take it very seriously.

"The 4-1 win over Fulham in the League is something we put behind us weeks ago. [The League Cup match] will be another London derby and we have to be up for it from the word go."

Gudjohnsen, like the rest of the Chelsea squad, was bitterly disappointed not to beat Bolton and increase their lead at the top to four points. Instead, they remain two points clear of Arsenal but know that overcoming an improving Charlton side will not be easy.

Gudjohnsen added: "We all felt the disappointment on Saturday when we didn't win. It had been a while since we dropped points. We want to pick ourselves up again starting with Charlton and then go into the Fulham game.

"Charlton is always a difficult game but we have to go into it in a confident manner and have to start winning again. We dropped two points last Saturday and didn't win against Paris, so we have to make up for that.

"We don't look at Arsenal too much, we try and focus on our own game. The only disappointment on Saturday is that we didn't get the maximum out of it."

Gudjohnsen now believes that, because of Chelsea's rapid progress under their billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich, and the coaching pedigree of Mourinho, every game they play is like a cup final.

He added: "We are one of the teams to beat in the Premiership now. The way the stature of the club has grown in the last one and a half years makes Chelsea a very big club. When teams come up against us they want to beat us and they have that extra motivation. Charlton are difficult to play against at their place and we have to treat it as another final.

"There is a lot of pressure on us to win every game and when you have the option as the manager does to rest players now and again, it is a good opportunity for other players to push their names forward."

Gudjohnsen is happy with the rotational policy and, now that Didier Drogba is back in contention for a first-team place, he may find himself on the bench again. But he is ready for the challenge.

"I am a professional and if I am not on the pitch I have to try and make sure I do something when I come on. I've had a good start and am maturing a lot on the pitch. I would have liked to have got more goals, but as long as we are winning, we are top of the League and I am doing my bit to help the team, that's all that matters to me."