Handling Jimmy can be a genuine hassle

England golden-boy Michael Owen proved the scourge of Ewood last week.

And now Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is planning to make a similar impact at the Bridge as Chelsea attempt to keep up with the pacesetters in the battle for the title.

In terms of sheer physical presence, the two frontman could hardly be further apart -- one relies on brute force, the other on blistering pace.

But when it comes to knowing where the net is, they are widely regarded as true masters of their craft.

"Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a top class finisher, there's no doubt about it," said Ewood chief Graeme Souness.

"He strikes a wonderful ball with both feet, he's got an eye for a goal, and he's got the physical presence you need to be a striker.

"He was the top scorer in the League last year so he's got to be right up there on a par with the likes of Michael Owen, because you just can't argue with the statistics.

"And not only that, he also went to Spain and did a similar thing over there in a hard, hard league to get goals.

"So he's a top striker -- I don't think anyone can deny that. And it's up to us to try and deal with that."

With the likes of Hasselbaink in their ranks, Chelsea started the season as serious title-contenders, particularly after manager Claudio Ranieri bolstered his resources with the summer signings of Emmanuel Petit, Frank Lampard and William Gallas.

So far, however, their arrival has failed to light the blue touch paper with the Londoners having won just four of their opening dozen league games, not to mention crashing out of the UEFA Cup.

On their day, though, they are one of the most dangerous sides in the country.

And Souness still believes they could have a big say in the destination of the title.

"Their team is littered with great individual players and, as they've proved in the past, they're capable of beating anyone on their day," said Souness.

"So I'm under no illusions about just how a difficult a game this is for us.

"Apart from Hasselbaink, the boy Zenden looked lively when I saw him on telly last week.

"The lad Stanic on the other side is another good player who gives them balance in midfield.

"And then you've got the likes of Petit and Frank Lampard who are both effective in the centre.

"So, individually, they're very, very talented.

"But, like last week, you've got to look forward to these games.

"That's why we're in the Premier League -- to go out there, enjoy these games and do our stuff."

Against Liverpool last Saturday, Souness opted for safety-first tactics against a side overloaded with attacking talent.

And, aside from a wonderful Owen finish, the gameplan worked to a large extent, even if it made for a contest short on entertainment value.

Souness later made no apologies for that and he is ready to adopt a similar policy in the capital in an effort to nullify Chelsea's attacking qualities.

"We're not in the business of making life easy for anyone," said Souness.

"We'll set our stall out in a way that we feel will win us games.

"Last week we felt we could win the game going that way and on another day we would have beaten them.

"Liverpool showed on Wednesday night what they're all about.

"They don't step out even at home and we weren't going to step out and chase the game against them.

'So we make no apologies for the way we approached it.

"At the end of the day, we're in the Premier League, we're still finding our way, and there are question marks against so many of our players because they haven't operated at this level before.

"Performance wise, I think our football has been okay but we can still do better."

"We are a young team so, theoretically, we should only get better.

"But confidence is a big part of football, which is something we talked about a lot last year.

"If you put a string of results together then your football starts to flow.

"And taking points off teams like Liverpool and Chelsea is all part of that confidence process."