Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has insisted that Jose Mourinho will "come back stronger" from his side's recent poor form.
The Blues cantered to the title last season but have won just three of their 12 matches this term to sit 16th in the Premier League table.
Last weekend's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Stoke City was their seventh of the season in the top flight, but Zola saw enough to suggest that a change in fortunes could be just around the corner and believes that criticism of Mourinho is "unfair".
"When they played Stoke they deserved more than that and if they keep playing with the same intensity their results will come back," Zola told talkSPORT.
"People always forget easily what you have done in the past. Managers are always under scrutiny. It is a little bit unfair because we are talking about one of the most successful managers in history. But I am sure he will come back stronger from this.
"Football is so unpredictable and sometimes situations like this can bring the best out of the players, the best out of the manager, and I really hope this is going to be one of those cases."
Chelsea return to action at home to Norwich City after the international break.
Barney Corkhill
