I don't accept the result, says Mourinho on Everton defeat

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has defended his team's nightmarish start to the defence of their English Premier League (EPL) crown, insisting that they are not playing as badly as the results suggest.

Chelsea slumped to their third defeat in five matches after a hattrick by Steven Naismith handed them a 1-3 drubbing against Everton FC at Goodison Park here on Saturday.

The latest defeat leaves the defending champions at an embarrasing 16th spot in the 20-team EPL table with just four points. Their miserable start to the season includes a 3-0 thrashing by runaway leaders Manchester City and a 1-2 loss to minnows Crystal Palace.

Chelsea's chances of retaining the EPL title is now in serious doubt, but Mourinho still retains complete faith in his players' abilities.

"(The result was) too wrong for our quality," Mourinho told BT Sport after the defeat.

"I am a champion, the players are the champions, the way they are playing is not as bad as the results but in every single game things are going against us," he added.

"I don't blame my players, I don't blame myself. I don't accept the result."

The 52-year-old from Portugal also asserted that he is happy with how his players have performed so far.

"We are dominate, dominate, dominate. But everything goes against us. We have to cope with it. Football is about goals, it's about results. It's easy to say and I agree completely, but results are too bad," Mourinho said.

This is Mourinho's worst start to a season in his two spells as Chelsea manager. But the self-proclaimed 'Special One' dismissed suggestions that he is under pressure to hold on to his job.

"I don't think there is a better manager for the job at Chelsea, I feel I'm the man for the job. I'm the man who has led Chelsea to great success. But now I'm the man with the bad results, I'm responsible for that. But there is no problem," he remarked.

"We made a couple of defensive mistakes but normally you're not immediately punished. The problem at the moment is every little mistake we make is punished. We almost have to go back to perfection because we are being punished.

"The priority is to keep doing what we are doing. I can't put more pressure on, (the players) have enough sadness, frustration," he added.

"I'm feeling no pressure. [Even though] The results are worst ever in my career."

Mourinho though, admitted that Chelsea may find it difficult to defend the title this season. But he is is determined to look ahead and is already focussed on the next match.

The London club will play their first Champions League game of the season later in the week against Maccabi Tel Aviv, before city rivals Arsenal visit Stamford Bridge.

"I have to prepare for next game. We depend on many things. Ourselves. But when you are eight, nine, 10, 11 points behind you have to wait for other results.

"I am with the players, I cannot be against them, I cannot have a bad feeling with them, that's what makes me happy. I am happy that tomorrow I have to face them again and train with them and prepare them for the next game," Mourinho said.

"But the next match (against Arsenal) we are candidates to win that match.

"But we don't depend on ourselves at this moment. If we win every game from now until the end of the season we are still dependent on other results," he added. "So now we go match after match and that starts with match one: Arsenal," he added.

"I am sorry, until somebody wins the league we are the champions."