Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has come to the aid of under-pressure manager Jose Mourinho following the club’s poor start to the season, Standard Sport reports.
The defending Premier League champions crashed to their third defeat of the new campaign against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon and are now 11 points adrift of Manchester City after just five games.
Many in the media have begun to write off the Blues’ chances of retaining the title after making their worst start to a season for nearly three decades and there has been speculation in regards to Mourinho’s future at the club, despite that fact he only signed a new four-year-deal in the summer.
Speaking ahead of their Champions League opener against Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv tonight, Begovic moved to dismiss claims that the Portuguese manager should be blamed for their poor form:
“Everyone looks at himself, first and foremost, to see what he can do better,” he told reporters.
“It’s difficult to pinpoint one thing we could have done better, but we look at ourselves. We have to work harder, play better and the results will improve.”
“The manager has led from the front from the first day. He’s as motivated as ever. He’s prepared well, but things have not gone our way. We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves.
“We have confidence things will turn around. We’re behind him [Mourinho]. We can remember what this team are capable of,” Begovic added.
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Begovic, who joined the Blues in the summer from Stoke City, is set for an extended run in the side after Thibaut Courtois underwent surgery last week and the Bosnia and Herzegovina stopper will be hoping to keep his first clean sheet for the club in the clash against Tel Aviv after conceding three goals in both of his appearances so far.