Florent Malouda has played down the significance of Chelsea's shock defeat by Sunderland and insisted that they have the players to successfully defend their Premier League title.

The Blues were beaten 3-0 at home by Sunderland over the weekend, cutting their cushion at the summit of the league table. But Malouda, currently preparing for France's international with England at Wembley on Wednesday, insists it was only a blip for Carlo Ancelotti's team. "Whatever people might say, we are still first in the league and that means that we have lost less points than our opponents."

"The sort of result against Sunderland can happen in the Premier League. We have had a great home record and now we have to start again. But we have the players to defend our title and there is nothing more to add to that.

There are lots of games coming up in the Premier League but when you play England at Wembley, it is a big moment.
Florent Malouda, Chelsea player and French international


"Our confidence has not been shaken. It is a long season and anyone can have a slight dip in form, whether it is a team or an individual. We will come through this spell," he said.

Malouda's own form has come under the microscope in recent weeks with French coach Laurent Blanc suggesting a dip in fortunes had coincided with Chelsea's mini-slump. However, the midfielder hopes France can use their Wembley friendly with England to measure how far they have progressed since a dismal 2010 FIFA World Cup™ performance.

"There are lots of games coming up in the Premier League but when you play England at Wembley, it is a big moment," said Malouda.

"A good performance and good result will be good for our confidence and provide a reference point to show exactly where we are as a team.

"We are on the way up and it is a moment for the youngsters in the team to create a bit of history but let's not put too much pressure on them by expecting too much too soon.

"These games against England and then Brazil, if we do well, will put us in a positive frame of mind for when the European qualifiers begin again.

"The idea is to move up the FIFA rankings and, playing and doing well against the likes of England and Brazil, is a good chance to do that," concluded the French midfielder.