Lampard praises uncle Harry

Frank Lampard has praised Harry Redknapp for working wonders at Portsmouth.

Pompey looked set for relegation when Redknapp returned to Fratton Park last December, but they beat the drop and have now risen to fourth this season.

They will lock horns with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and Lampard is full of respect for what Redknapp has achieved on the South Coast.

"I fancied them to do pretty well this season but I don't know if I expected them to do as well as they've done," said Lampard, who is Redknapp's nephew and played for him at West Ham.

"But Harry will always create a spirit and create a team like he's done there.

"To take them from the team they were last year to the situation there now is basically a miracle, there's no doubt about that. He's done what Harry does best."

Chelsea returned to something like their best form with a 1-0 victory over Barcelona in midweek, and Lampard has urged his team-mates to keep up the good work in the coming weeks.

"This is an important part of the season for us to try and get a run of wins together to establish ourselves," he explained.

"We're at the top with Manchester United and we need to get in a run of form where we're winning games and keep pushing on."

Ghanaian powerhouse Michael Essien has been one of Chelsea's star performers so far this season, and he has been delighted with his displays.

"I think I'm in better form this season. I'm getting better and better," Essien claimed.

"The more you keep playing, the more you keep improving. I'm really happy.

"I can read the game much better than before. I have to keep going like that and see what happens."

Essien hit the headlines last term for his controversial challenges on Dietmar Hamann and Tal Ben Haim, but he feels he is channelling his aggression more effectively now.

"You have to forget about the bad moments and keep going. I'm a little bit more careful now but my game is hard," he said.

"I play hard and fair and at the moment nothing is happening, everything is okay."

Michael Ballack's arrival had appeared to put a question mark over Essien's place in the Chelsea side, but he has played every minute of every game this season.

Ballack, by contrast, has failed to light up The Premiership, but Essien has backed the German and fellow summer signing Andrei Shevchenko to click into gear soon.

"The Premiership is a very fast pace and they are new. At the moment they are playing good but they are getting used to The Premiership," he commented.

"I never thought my place was under threat. I was really happy when those players signed because I would be able to play alongside them.

"For me there was no problem. I'm happy we've got them here. As a player I am confident and at the moment things are going well."