Chelsea
players are giving 100 percent for under-fire manager Jose Mourinho, John
Obi Mikel says.
Saturday's 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool capped a miserable seven days for
the Blues, who lost to West Ham United in the league the previous weekend
and were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Stoke City on penalties.
Mourinho, who signed a new four-year contract in August, lead his team to a
domestic double last season, winning the Premier League and Capital One Cup.
However, with just 11 points from 11 league games, Chelsea are languishing
down in 15th place in the table, 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester
United.
Saturday's sixth league defeat means Chelsea have already lost twice as many
Premier League games than they did last season, a statistic compounded by
just one victory in their last eight games in all competitions.
Mourinho's problems are not confined to the playing field, however, as the
52-year-old was charged with misconduct by the Football Association after
being sent to the stands in the West Ham loss and is currently appealing a
£50,000 fine imposed for criticising referees.
But with his manager's future as uncertain as ever, Mikel has dismissed
reports that some players want Mourinho to go.
"The goals and wins are not coming but you can see we are playing for the
manager and are right behind him," Mikel told the club's official website.
"There is no doubt about it. If anyone can turn this around, I definitely
think he is the one.
"If you say to the players that we are not giving 100 percent then there is
a doubt - but we are giving 100 percent, we are playing for the manager and
we are right behind him.
"Everyone can see how much hard work we are putting in and we are playing
well but the results are not coming for us.
"Every shot [against us] is a goal, every deflection a goal. We just need a
bit of that luck that we don't have at the minute. But you can see the team
is giving it everything, we're working very hard."
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