Carlo Ancelotti has told Goal that Jose Mourinho will not be sacked by Chelsea despite the Premier League champions' disappointing start to the campaign.
Mourinho led Chelsea to the league title and Capital One Cup triumph last season, but the West London club have struggled this season with 11 points from nine games leaving them 12th in the table -- 10 points behind table toppers Manchester City.
Mourinho has been backed by Chelsea and does not expect to be sacked even if the club miss out on a top-four finish and Champions League football next season, but Ancelotti -- who led the Blues to a league and FA Cup double in 2010 -- says the club will back the Portuguese coach.
"I don't think Mourinho will be sacked, absolutely not," the former Real Madrid boss said. "He has changed little from last season and he's at a club that he knows very well. Plus, the club knows Mourinho very well.
"Jose is one of the top coaches of all time and if anyone can turn it around he is the person.
"I believe that it's mainly a problem of motivation at Chelsea. From a technical point of view, the team is the same as the one that dominated the league last year. But their motivation levels have dropped.
"They had a terrible start and they need to rediscover their drive. The Champions League, in this instance, can help them, because it could give them an injection of confidence and help them rediscover the right determination."
Ancelotti led Real Madrid to a historic "Decima" -- a 10th European Cup triumph -- in 2014, but was sacked at the end of the following season as their La Liga rivals Barcelona won the Treble.
The 56-year-old believes coaches in England have less pressure than in other countries despite his sacking by Chelsea, saying: "I was at Chelsea two years [2009-11] and there were no major problems or big debates. Then, after two years, they decide to change coach.
"But I must say that in the UK the pressure is a lot lighter. We can say that working in England is much easier because while there is pressure, it's much less than elsewhere."
While Ancelotti says Chelsea may find more luck in Europe compared to their poor domestic form, the Italian thinks Premier League clubs are struggling due to being in a state of transition.
"The reason for the decline is that the big English sides have overhauled their squads a lot, apart from Chelsea, who have experienced players and leaders," he added.
"The others, like Manchester United, have taken young players of less experience. Therefore, they have revamped their sides and there have been difficulties.
"They must wait a couple of years to be competitive in Europe again."