Terry on Chelsea's problems, Mourinho pressure

How do you explain Chelsea's start to the season?
"It's difficult for us to pinpoint one thing. For me, it's a lot of collective things put together. First and foremost, the players will stand up and say – and I will personally – that we've not been good enough. We've not played well enough. We know where we are and we know what we need to do to get out of it."

What will it take to turn it around?
"It's going to take a dressing room that stays together, sticks together. What we've seen in the last two or three days, ridiculous stories about what's happening within the club and the dressing room. I can assure you that the players are 100% behind the manager. We are together. Anyone who has been to the last three or four games can see the way we're playing is turning."

Still responding to his methods?
"The manager's work, for me, comes pre-season. I've known him a long time and he's always the same. He's very demanding. He wants the players to win, on the training field. He's devastated after poor results, taking it on his own shoulders. But we're the ones on the pitch who haven't been good enough. Us as players, the fans, the club: we will bounce back."

Do you get the sense José Mourinho is under real pressure? How are you helping him?
"He's under pressure because of the way we're performing. He can do all the work he can in the training field and team meetings, but once we step over the white line it's on us. We know we need to be better, collectively, for this club and for him. He will take a lot of the responsibility on his shoulders and that's unfair."

A rare lighthearted moment in Chelsea training©Getty Images

How are you, as captain, coping?
"It's been difficult. And unfamiliar for me. Personally, my form, I could certainly be better. If we can all improve, we'll be in a better position. As a captain it's been difficult, but I'm prepared to front up to you guys because I'm sure we're going to get out of it.

"The table doesn't lie. We know where we are. We certainly don't want to be in this position in a couple weeks' time. The spotlight gets bigger and bigger. That's the way football is. When you lose, you lose. There's no worse feeling. I was supposed to see Frank [Lampard] after the game on Saturday but I just wanted to be on my own, to get home, so I didn't."