Frank Lampard is happy with how Chelsea are progressing.
The Blues have not lost in five matches and are four points off top-placed Everton.
Lampard had to contend with a transfer ban last summer, and after making some big signings in the summer, the Englishman is seeing positive steps from his team.
"When I came in, the circumstances were very particular so you have to take each situation at face value and try to deal with it," Lampard told reporters.
"I thought last year everybody at the club dealt with it very well because it was a successful season to finish in the top four and now we find ourselves in a different position, with different players and the onus is on us to work as hard as we can to find a balance and move forward.
"We're working in a really positive direction. I keep talking about the need for patience and hard work during this period because I understood early in this season that there would be some difficulties in trying to compete in this unforgiving Premier League with new players, some of them having never played in this league before. The signs I see game after game and week after week, there are a lot of positives."
