Chelsea’s strong form this season has impressed Ray Wilkins but the Blues’ former assistant manager insists they need to sign another striker if they want to last the pace.

The West London side top the Premier League table after a run of eight straight victories, including a 4-0 win against Manchester United and 3-1 win at Manchester City.

Striker Diego Costa has played a key part in their impressive run, netting 11 league goals – the joint-highest in the league.

But Wilkins, who was assistant between 2008 and 2010, believes the Spaniard needs support if they are to go on and reclaim the title and has pushed boss Antonio Conte to make a January addition to his squad.

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“Chelsea’s squad is very strong right across the board, but you would concede that they are so reliant on the forward areas and what I would say is that they do not have another recognised centre forward other than Diego Costa,” he said.

“They can play with all these smaller guys and play [Eden] Hazard through the middle and Michy Batshuayi has come for £30m and we haven’t really seen him yet.

“Of course, there are lots of youngsters out on loan which is another issue. But if they were to lose Costa that would be a massive, massive blow. But I still feel Chelsea have the most solid, resilient squad.

“They have the experience in there of players who have won titles, big-game players if you like, and that is another key factor for them.

“For the last six or seven years it has been the same with Arsenal.

“They go up to Christmas and they look like world-beaters and then after the holidays they have a nose dive. They can’t seem to go the distance.”

Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins says he takes responsibility for the club’s abject start to the Premier League campaign.

The Swans sit two points adrift of Hull City at the foot of the table, with events on and off the pitch causing much ire amongst fans.

Jenkins sold 8.2 per cent of his 13.2 per cent share in the club to American investors Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, who secured a controlling stake in July.

And fans have accused him, along with fellow directors who sold shares, of thinking of their own wallets rather than the club.

Jenkins confessed that he sympathises with fans, saying: “I fully understand their feelings, being a supporter myself.

“When things don’t go well somebody has to take the blame and I fully accept the responsibility.

“But let’s not forget there’s a long way to go this season, and we’ve got a lot of choices to make between now and then to make sure we survive in this league.”

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Fans were also left frustrated with the club’s failings in the summer transfer window.

And Jenkins admitted: “There might have been one or two decisions we could have taken in the summer that may have changed the feel around the club.

“I’m not going to go in to detail, we may have gone down one or two different routes, may have recruited a few players differently.

“But we are where we are, we’ve got to do everything in our power to make sure we turn our fortunes around. We need everyone to be 100% behind the team.”

Divock Origi has had to bide his time at Liverpool this season, and defender Dejan Lovren has hailed the striker’s attitude and hard work after watching him net crucial goals in recent weeks.

The Belgian started the season as third choice striker behind Robert Firmino and Daniel Sturridge, despite an impressive 2015-16 campaign – where he scored ten goals.

But Origi was given a chance against Sunderland last month, and he has since scored three goals in three games – helping the Reds through to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.

And Lovren praised the 21-year-old for showing maturity beyond his years and ensuring his patience paid off.

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“I spoke a couple of times with Divock and it’s a bit like I’m his older brother and he’s listening to me,” he said.

“Actually, he’s amazing, especially for a young player. I can’t believe that I’m saying he’s young because he looks like me, old and everything!

“That’s the right attitude, you need to have patience. I know it’s quite difficult when you are young and you’re not playing.

“You know you need to get the chance, but like I said to him, you need to work hard behind the doors, behind the scenes and you will get the chance, that’s for sure.

“Maybe someone will get injured and that’s the time. [But] if you didn’t work good, then it will be difficult to get in and you will need five or six games to score a goal. But he was working really professionally.”

Dusan Tadic has not featured in a Southampton shirt since early November but manager Claude Puel won’t be rushing the midfielder back until he’s in the right shape.

The 28-year-old playmaker has been wearing a protective mask in training over the past few days after breaking his nose whilst on international duty with Serbia.

Puel is keen to have Tadic back in the mix but with a Premier League clash against Middlesbrough on Sunday ahead of a busy festive period, the Frenchman wants his talisman to be 100 per cent ready.

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“He has come back into the training sessions for a few days and it’s important he continues to work, because he had three weeks without training sessions,” Puel said.

“It’s a long time and it’s important he can come back with a good physical level to help the team.”

And despite fixtures coming thick and fast for the Saints, Puel is not complaining about the hectic December schedule.

“To play every three days is a pleasure. Of course, it’s difficult,” he added.

“We can see this from the last game against Crystal Palace, but all the squad prefer to play many games than have training sessions.”

Middlesbrough’s Adam Clayton believes Monday night’s victory against Hull is likely to prove more important than impressive draws away at Arsenal and Manchester City.

Gaston Ramirez’s header lifted the Teesside club to 13th in the table, four points clear of the relegation zone after their third win of the season.

It’s a result Clayton believes is more valuable than any other this season, highlighting the necessity of taking spoils from their bottom-half rivals to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

But the 27-year-old confessed he pays little heed to the league table, instead keen to focus on one match at a time.

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“I think it was more important [to beat Hull] than Man City and Arsenal away,” he said.

“To get points at home against teams who will probably be fighting for relegation makes those away points even bigger. It was a great three points and I think we can really kick on now.

“Once we scored I think we made it quite hard for ourselves and didn’t carry on the way we were playing.

“But we got over the line – that’s what we do. We’re used to grinding results out and that was a big three points.

“I don’t focus on the league table, just getting the three points, because it’s massive in this league and if you can get them then it can change everything.”

Charlie Daniels believes the competition for selection at Bournemouth can push Eddie Howe’s Cherries to greater heights.

Bournemouth are tenth in the Premier League and stunned Liverpool with three goals in the last 15 minutes to claim an unlikely 4-3 victory against Jurgen Klopp’s title challengers.

It was Nathan Aké who scored the winner at the Vitality Stadium and with Daniels preparing to compete with the Chelsea loanee for a spot in Howe’s side, he believes that competition can only be healthy for Bournemouth.

“Nathan’s done unbelievably well since he’s been playing and the gaffer is going to have a real selection dilemma, not only in my position but in other positions too,” he said.

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“It’s up to whoever plays to keep hold of the jersey and people that aren’t playing to work really hard to try and get it back again.

“I feel I’m ready to go. I’ve been training the last couple of days, but Sunday was a bit soon for me and I needed to feel right.”

And though he was watching from the sidelines, Daniels urged his team-mates to follow the template of the second-half against Liverpool as a route to success.

“For us, the Liverpool game was a great confidence builder and hopefully we can kick on and keep the momentum going,” the 30-year-old said.

“We want to build on our second-half performance and transfer that into the whole game this weekend.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan insists his Manchester United breakthrough was never in doubt after Jose Mourinho finally pulled the trigger on the Armenian last month.

While Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were the marquee signings to have walked through the doors of Old Trafford over the summer, many believed Mkhitaryan’s signature held just as much promise.

But the man who scored 23 goals for Borussia Dortmund last season – and assisted a further 26 – only appeared in five games until November marked a turning point in his United career.

Following man-of-the-match nods against Feyenoord and West Ham United, the 27-year-old is in Mourinho’s good books – something he believes was only ever going to be a matter of time.

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“I started playing so I’m positive,” said Mkhitaryan. “I think positively and I am glad to have more playing time for the future because it’s something that is not predictable.

“You have to be ready for every situation. I was ready and I showed I am a top-level player. It doesn’t matter if I am going to play or not, I am always ready to help the team.

“I have spoken a lot (with Mourinho); first, when I came here and he told me what I have to improve. I think he saw I improved in that time and he gave me the next chance to play again.

“It was difficult to watch the games without me but I have proved that I can play with the main squad. Now I can repeat it and I can prove it again.”

Xherdan Shaqiri has urged Stoke boss Mark Hughes to stick with his new offensive tactics over the Christmas period following back-to-back victories.

After a disastrous start to the season, which saw Stoke lose four of their first five games, the Potters have climbed into the top half following a run of five wins in seven.

Hughes adopted a 3-4-3 formation against Watford two weeks ago due to an injury-ravaged defence, and it has paid dividends with two wins and two clean sheets.

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And Shaqiri, who normally plays on the right wing for Stoke, is excelling in a freer role and hopes Hughes does not revert to his favoured 4-2-3-1 as they gear up for a tough festive period – which includes away games at Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.

“I hope we can carry on as we’ve been doing. I’m very happy at the moment,” he said.

“You’re more free. You can stay more in the middle and you can go outside. I like it.

“I think at the moment the whole team is playing well and when you’re performing well and picking up results you don’t need to change the system.

“When you have more freedom you can change positions and I can link up with Marko [Arnautovic]. Also defensively we have a very compact team and that’s very important.”

Nordin Amrabat believes Watford must remain calm and confident as they look to turn their recent poor form around this weekend.

The Hornets have suffered three defeats in their past four Premier League games – including a 6-1 defeat to Liverpool and a 3-1 loss at West Brom last time out – to slip to 11^th in the table.

Last weekend’s defeat at The Hawthorns saw West Brom race into a 2-0 lead, through Jonny Evans and Chris Brunt, before Christian Kabasele got Watford back in the contest with a goal on the hour mark.

But Roberto Pereyra was sent off with six minutes left and Matt Phillips curled home an injury-time effort to put the game beyond the visitors.

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They are aiming to get back on track when they host Everton this Saturday lunchtime and Amrabat believes the importance of the clash can’t be overstated.

“We are looking forward to Everton – it’s a really important game,” said the midfielder. “We need to win because we’ve had a tough run.

“We must be calm, work hard and make sure we have confidence in ourselves. What you saw against West Brom was good football but we just didn’t win, hopefully we can this weekend.”

Watford took 2,800 fans to the Hawthorns for the clash with West Brom and Amrabat was quick to pay tribute to the Hornets faithful for their unwavering support.

“The fans’ support was fantastic,” added the Morocco international. “Every away game they come with us and fill the stands.

“We have a lot of respect for them – they travel and support us for 95 or 96 minutes and are unbelievable fans.

“We need to thank them for that because sometimes when we lose, the players are sad and go straight into the dressing room. They deserve more.

“We just want to thank them for the support and I know the whole team are thinking like me.”

Hull City’s Ahmed Elmohamady believes his teammates must keep working hard and remain confident if they are to stand a chance against fellow Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace on Saturday.

A win could lift Mike Phelan’s side out of the bottom three, and Elmohamady stressed the importance of remaining focused and confident.

He said: “We’re working hard on the training ground, but we have to keep our heads up and stay confident.

“The next game now is important, it’s an important three points to try and get out of the bottom three.

“Palace are a team with some really good players, especially up front, so we have to concentrate.”

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Phelan’s men were left to rue sloppy set-piece defending as they slumped to an eighth defeat in ten away at Middlesbrough on Monday evening, while Palace impressively beat Southampton 3-0 for a first victory since September.

And Elmohamady said: “We need to improve in that area because it’s the second game in a row now that we have conceded, which is not good enough.

“The manager spoke after the game about this point and about the chances we got.

“In this league you don’t get many chances, especially away from home. We defended very well in the first half but we needed to keep the ball better throughout.”