Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard has said he is suffering the first "difficult" spell of his career after being dropped by manager Jose Mourinho and cannot explain the loss of form of either himself or his team as a whole.
Hazard, whose sparkling performances helped Chelsea cruise to the Premier League title last season, is without a goal in 11 games in this campaign as the defending champions have struggled.
The Belgium international was left out of the starting lineup for the Champions League defeat by Porto last month, and was quoted in reports as saying: "This is the first time in my career that I have had such a difficult spell like this.
"I can't really explain it. All I know is that I will need to work hard in order to bounce back. At Chelsea we have concerns both as a team and individually.
"I was left on the bench against Porto in the Champions League, and I am no longer immune to being left out.
#INSERT type:image caption:Hazard starred last season but has struggled this time around. END#
"You can be untouchable when you play well -- and that has not been the case with me.
"I think the manager [Jose Mourinho] wanted to send me a message by making me a sub. I don't read everything he says, but he explains everything."
But the 24-year-old said he believed Mourinho -- who has also been backed by Sir Alex Ferguson -- was the right man to get Chelsea out of the slump that has seen them drop to 16th in the table.
"I am not too worried for him -- Mourinho is the best coach in the world when it comes to dealing with pressure," he added.
"I am an optimist, and I know I can learn a lot from tough spells. I hope to come back stronger, and I am ready to play and do my best."