Chelsea's Kurt Zouma says he is at a loss to explain the club's terrible start to the new season.
The Blues slumped to 16th in the top flight with their third straight league defeat away at Stoke City on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho was serving a one-game stadium ban and missed the Premier League encounter at the Britannia Stadium as the club's coaching staff oversaw the 1-0 defeat.
The Portuguese boss had never lost seven games in a season before the trip to the Potteries and defeat saw him edge to within a hair's breadth of Roman Abramovich's axe.
But Zouma says the players still believe in Mourinho.
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"I do not think that he is being let down by the players," Zouma told Telefoot.
"We might not be at last year's level when it comes to our performances, but we are all together as a team. We all trust in Mourinho, just like the fans."
"I cannot explain our catastrophic start. It really is bizarre," the Frenchman added.
"We were Premier League champions last season... maybe it is a mental issue."
