Chelsea’s alarming slump in form has seen them slip down to fourth place in the EPL, with only limited encouragement to be drawn from home victory over Bolton this week in the Blues’ last game of 2010.

A rare defeat to EPL title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates two days prior to the Bolton game was their sixth match without a win, their worst run in the league this century.  And under-fire supremo Carlo Ancelotti called on his side to “wake up” after the loss which was every bit as comprehensive as the 3-1 scoreline suggested.

He insisted that “we cannot have this type of performance in the future” if his side were to harbour serious thoughts of retaining their title.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to address the side’s recent rearguard frailities, Chelsea have made a £17m bid for Benfica defender David Luiz, although Portuguese newspapers suggest that the Lisbon giants have rejected the offer.

 

The Blues narrow victory over Bolton, thanks to Florent Malouda’s second-half strike, has not masked the fact that Chelsea’s form is still someway below-par.

After the match, the Italian boss said: “It was important to change the atmosphere, to change the trend, to come back to win. It was an important step” But he added: “I’m not sure everything will now be OK. We have to wait, we have to put on a performance again.”

Chelsea host struggling Aston Villa on Sunday. But while Frank Lampard’s return to the side against Bolton after long-term injury was good news, Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic’s yellow card in the match means he will be suspended for the Villa game.

Ivanovic’s absence leaves John Terry as the Blues’ only available specialist centre-back this weekend. Ancelotti’s replacement options are 19-year-old Jeffrey Bruma or Portuguese full-back Paulo Ferreira.

The situation highlights Chelsea’s need for defensive reinforcements, despite the Blues’ defensive record being the best in the EPL. They have conceded just 15 times in 19 matches but Wednesday was only their second clean sheet in 13.

23-year-old Luiz was on Chelsea’s radar in the summer. But while Benfica have dropped their asking price since then from £43m to £25m, Chelsea’s first offer was only £17m, according to Portuguese newspaper Record.

And UK newspapers are reporting that Ancelotti may have diverted his interest towards one of Wednesday’s opponents, Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill, whose performances this season have brought him England international recognition.