Paul Lambert: Benteke's slump hurting Villa

The Villa boss admits Benteke is suffering from a 'slump' but has promised to help the Belgium international recover after his attempt to sign Rickie Lambert collapsed.

Villa's £5million move for Lambert fell through, after the Liverpool forward opted to fight for his place on Merseyside.

It is more than 10 hours since Villa last scored in the Premier League and Lambert will face Chelsea tomorrow with the club perilously close to the relegation zone.

Benteke's performances have also become a growing concern for Lambert, with the forward only scoring twice in the league since his return from an Achilles injury in October.

Villa made a late move to sign Lambert in a move designed to ease the pressure on Benteke, but the 24-year-old has been backed to emerge from his problems.

Lambert said: "If Christian was right on his game I'm pretty sure there would have been clubs knocking down the door for him in January.

"He's had a loss of form but he's only human and we're working hard to get him right.

"We have to get him through it. Every player goes through a dip in form but it's more noticeable with him because of how he performed in his first season."

Lambert declined to expand on his move for Liverpool's England international, but admitted the final day was frustrating.

He said: "You're never quite sure how close it was. We tried one or two things and you're never sure until they come through the door.

"It's probably unfair on him for me to comment. There's no point in commenting on it, a few things fell through."

Captain Ron Vlaar and Joe Cole are both in contention for the clash against Jose Mourinho's men.

Vlaar has been out for over a month with a knee problem picked up in the New Year's Day draw with Crystal Palace. Cole has missed the last two games with a hamstring issue.