(REUTERS) - Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is pleased with his side's strong start to the English Premier League season but said they have a long way to go to match the standards set by Manchester City and Liverpool in previous campaigns.

The Blues went top of the league briefly on Saturday (Nov 21) with 2-0 victory at Newcastle United before dropping back to third after new leaders Tottenham's win over Manchester City and champions Liverpool's thumping of Leicester.

"After eight or nine games, it would be easy to get excited about being in a lofty position but I'm not going to smile too much," Lampard told Chelsea's website.

"We're in a decent position but doing that consistently over a big period is the next step for us now.

"The first port of call this year was to close the gap on Man City and Liverpool, who have set different levels of consistency through a season," the Englishman added.

"We are improving but we cannot get carried away. We have to try to reach those levels but I'm happy with where we're at right now."

Chelsea face French side Rennes in the Champions League on Tuesday (Nov 24) with German playmaker Kai Havertz set to return after completing his period of isolation following a positive Covid-19 test earlier this month.

"Kai is a naturally fit boy so I hope to have him travelling with us to Rennes and maybe he'll get some minutes," Lampard said.