FRANCK QUEUDRUE refused to blame Middlesbrough's lacklustre performance at the weekend on fatigue.

Manchester United's visit to the Riverside on Saturday was Boro's third in seven days and they could be forgiven for blaming the heavy festive schedule for not being at their best.

The Teessiders' squad is already stretched to the limit and Steve McClaren was robbed of the experienced Mark Viduka, George Boateng, Ugo Ehiogu and Chris Riggott for the Red Devils' visit, and a few players looked leggy as a result of their absence.

The classy full-back dismissed the chance to use tiredness as an excuse, and admitted that Boro just did not play well enough over the full 90 minutes.

"I don't think you could put our performance down to being tired because we have a good recovery routine in place at the club," said the Frenchman.

"We just did not play as well as we can do. To only play for 45 minutes against Manchester United is not enough to win the game.

"I think we started the game playing too deep and showed too much respect to Manchester.

"We were much better in the second half and put more pressure on them and I think we deserved a bit more from the game. But we have another tough match coming up on Tuesday against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and we need to be ready for this game."

If anything can be gleaned from Boro's season so far, it is their ability to bounce back from a set-back.

Middlesbrough turned in possibly their poorest performance of the season against Birmingham City at St Andrews on Boxing Day, only to comfortably beat Norwich at the Riverside two days later.

Earlier in the season consecutive defeats to Everton and Chelsea resulted in a nine-match unbeaten run.

Tuesday's game at Stamford Bridge provides another chance to test Boro's Champions League credentials when they face a Chelsea side that has lost only once - to a Nicolas Anelka penalty at Manchester City - in 21 Premier League games, and conceded only eight goals.

The 26-year-old defender has tipped the west London club to win their first top-flight title in 50 years but still believes the Teessiders can make a successful return from the capital.

He said: "We hope to bounce back against Chelsea on Tuesday, and I think we can if we stay focused and concentrate and play football.

"I think Chelsea will win the title because they have the best defence.

"They don't concede that many goals and I think that will be the major difference at the end of the season." On Saturday Queudrue had the difficult task of stopping the experienced Ryan Giggs and the fleet-footed Christiano Ronaldo. If that wasn't a daunting enough prospect for the former Lens defender, on Tuesday, he will go head to head with arguably the Premiership's most in-form players in Arjen Robben and Damien Duff.

Queudrue recognised the similarities between both sets of wingers and the threat Chelsea's wide men provide the opposition.

He believes the secret to Boro's success at Stamford Bridge, however, does not lie with how they handle Robben and Duff, but how they stop fellow Frenchman Claude Makelele.

"Saturday's game was like a training session before the Chelsea game, "quipped Queudrue. "In Arjen Robben and Damien Duff Chelsea have two very good wingers but for me the danger lies with Makelele.

"I think we need to press Makelele. He determines the tempo of Chelsea's game like Roy Keane for Manchester.

"We pressed Keane in the second half and because we did that we played better."

Read more about Middlesbrough here.