Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes the club can still win the Premier League title despite their poor start to the season.
Chelsea are currently 16th in the table, having amassed just eight points from their opening eight matches, while they trail leaders Manchester City by 10 points.
Fabregas, though, is hopeful the Premier League champions, who host Aston Villa on Saturday, can turn their form around and ultimately catch the pace-setters.
The Spain international said in The Sun: "I still believe we can win the league. It's not going to be easy but a 10-point gap at this stage of the season is not impossible.
"Last season, we took 22 points from our first eight games but this time every team has lost at least one.
"Manchester City lost to West Ham and Tottenham when no one expected it, Manchester United and Arsenal have also dropped points. No one at Chelsea is happy with our current position but I would prefer to be here now than at the end of the season.
"It's not how we start the campaign, it's where we finish it. There is still almost 80 percent of the season to go so we have more than enough time to recover. But we need to start that recovery this weekend."
Fabregas also voiced his support for under-pressure manager Jose Mourinho, who was given the club's backing in the wake of their 3-1 home loss to Southampton prior to the international break.
He added: "Jose is the best manager in the history of this club and the best manager we can possibly have. There is no one better to turn this around. He always makes the best decisions and I'm sure he will get the best out of us again.
"I have been in this game for 12 years and played in every cup final it's possible to play in. So I have the experience and the mental strength to cope with this pressure."
That sentiment was echoed by Fabregas' Chelsea teammate, Asmir Begovic, who insists that there is no better man anywhere to turn the club's fortunes around.
"He's not happy, of course," the Bosnia-Herzegovina goalkeeper said in the Guardian. "He doesn't want to lose. He wouldn't have won all the trophies he has, and become the best manager in the world, to be happy with how things are going.
"But at the same time he has kept calm, tried to keep things on the ground, make sure we don't feel sorry for ourselves, and pick things up. It's a long season, we know in football these things happen, even to the best teams; we need to keep fighting and hopefully things will turn for us, our performances and our luck.
"That's the only comforting thing: we have the best manager in the world. We believe in him and he believes in us. We will turn things around."