Rafael Benitez admits he is pleased with the progress Chelsea have made under his leadership, but feels the cramped fixture list has hampered their preparations at times.
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The Spaniard was appointed interim boss at Stamford Bridge early in the season, although his arrival in west London was met by hostility from the club's fans, who protested the sacking of former boss Roberto Di Matteo.
However, the former Liverpool tactician has since led the side to within four points of second in the Premier League and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, while they also head into their Europa League last-32 second-leg clash against Sparta Prague on Thursday with a 1-0 advantage.
"My job is to prepare for the next game," Benitez said.
"We've played so many games in just three months and 25 games so think a bit about that. We haven't been able to train like we'd like to.
"We are still improving a lot of things but you also have to win games. As soon as you lose or draw, everything changes.
"But the team is working very hard, the staff are working very hard and I think we're going in the right direction."
When asked what competition will receive his fullest attention, the Blues boss said: "At the moment this is the priority as we play Sparta Prague (on Thursday).
"One game at a time and that is the most important game we have to play.
"I was not just analysing their players, but the performance of the team.
"I think the team had a good idea about what they wanted to do. The manager did a good job.
"The shape of the team, movement and patterns were good and we were talking about the before. We know it will not be an easy game. For sure."
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