Lampard says Chelsea players need to step up

Chelsea's players must look at themselves and start performing, former Blues stalwart Frank Lampard said on Monday as speculation continues to swirl over the future of manager Jose Mourinho.

The Premier League champion has lost six of its opening 11 games and sits 15th in the standings as several of the club's leading players, such as Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, struggle to hit the form that helped win the title last season.

There have even been suggestions that an increasingly rattled Mourinho has lost the support of the dressing room, but Lampard said that should never be the case.

"It's nonsense if it is happening," Lampard, Chelsea's all-time leading scorer and three-time Premier League winner (twice under Mourinho), told Sky Sports.

"I don't think players at the top level can down tools. The first responsibility is yourself, if you are downing tools, the only one that looks stupid is yourself."

"They're playing for Chelsea now and it is a huge club. They have to produce," he said.

Lampard, who left Chelsea for Major League Soccer's New York City FC, and spent last season on loan with Manchester City, believes Mourinho is still the man to lead Chelsea out of its current malaise.

"Stability is the ideal. Manchester United was the ideal with Sir Alex Ferguson and the same with the great Liverpool managers of the past, it's the ideal," he said.

"You want to see a manager stay, you want to see young players coming through, and that's the intriguing thing to see now, to see if Chelsea stick with him.

"He's got a four-year contract and he has got the best record as Chelsea manager. He is proven world class, and I think they should stick with him."

Lampard watched Chelsea's 3-1 home loss to Liverpool last weekend, saying the players were off the pace.

"Jose Mourinho loves a high-intensity game, and I didn't see that," the 37-year-old said.

"I watched Chelsea press (against Liverpool), and it was broken. When you are a couple of seconds late, the opponents can play out.

"I don't think I'm being over-critical, I know the boys, but some people are leaders and vocal in the dressing room.

"We all know Chelsea have had that spine for quite a few years, but you look around now, and you think do they still?"

100 percent

Chelsea players are giving 100 percent for Mourinho, midfielder John Obi Mikel said, adding the Premier League champion needs a bit of luck to turn its fortunes around.

Saturday's 3-1 home loss to Liverpool capped a miserable seven days for the Blues, who lost to West Ham United in the league the previous weekend and were knocked out of the League Cup by Stoke City on penalties.

Mourinho, who signed a new four-year contract in August, led his team to a domestic double last season, adding the League Cup to the Premier League title.

Saturday's sixth league defeat means Chelsea has already lost twice as many Premier League games than it did last season, a statistic compounded by just one victory in its past eight games in all competitions.

With his manager's future as uncertain as ever, Mikel has voiced his backing for Mourinho and is confident the Portuguese is the right man to turn things around.

"The goals and wins are not coming but you can see we are playing for the manager and are right behind him," Mikel told the club website.

"There is no doubt about it. If anyone can turn this around, I definitely think he is the one.

"If you say to the players that we are not giving 100 percent then there is a doubt - but we are giving 100 percent, we are playing for the manager. We are right behind him.

"Everyone can see how much hard work we are putting in and we are playing well but the results are not coming for us.

"Every shot (against us) is a goal, every deflection a goal. We just need a bit of that luck that we don't have at the minute. But you can see the team is giving it everything. We're working very hard."