Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho rejected suggestions there was a player revolt against him on Tuesday and dismissed reports that one player would rather lose than play for him as "dishonest".
He also said he expected to be at Chelsea for the remainder of his four-year contract and that Chelsea would finish first or second in their Champions League group.
The Premier League champions' turbulent start to the season shows little sign of abating after successive losses to West Ham United and Liverpool in the Premier League and being knocked out of the Capital One (League) Cup by Stoke City.
But Mourinho said his squad were totally united and determined to turn their season around.
“It’s a very sad accusation because you are accusing players, or one player, of dishonesty,” Mourinho told reporters before Wednesday’s Champions League Group G match against Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge.
“If I accuse you of being a dishonest journalist, I think you would be very upset and probably you would take legal action. It is a question for the players, not for me.”
Mourinho said he had a “fantastic personal and professional relationship” with his players who were united in their efforts to improve results which have left them 15th in the table, with three wins from their opening 11 matches.
They are third in their Champions League group but Mourinho said they would finish first or second to qualify for the last 16.
“Tomorrow is not a must-win game, it’s a must-not-lose game, so if we draw and then win the last two matches we will qualify,” he said
He also said he knew why their form had been so bad, but would not elaborate.
“It’s a combination of factors and some of them I don’t want to touch them, but yes I know,” Mourinho added. “Everything is football-related.”
When asked by reporters how he felt he could personally improve - to help the team out of its current slump Mourinho said:
“To do what I did all my life. Which is to study and, in my case, it’s difficult to study from others. When you reach my level, it’s difficult to learn from others. You have to learn from yourself, with your own experiences, day by day, analysing your work.
“If I’d only become a better coach because of bad results, then I’d be a really bad coach because, in the last 15 years, I’d never have improved. But I try and improve every day, analyse every detail of my work every day, preparing sessions, analysing matches, preparing matches. Every day.
“This is new for me. That’s why I’m a good one. I’ve not experienced this before. Yesterday a friend sent me some quotes of my press conference after the Champions League final in May 2004. I’d completely forgotten about it. In May 2004 I said that, one day in my career, bad results would come. I said that in 2004 after winning the Champions League final with Porto.
“One day the bad results will come and I’ll face the bad results with all the same honesty and dignity that I’m facing now as a European champions. May 2004.
“So, 11 years later, I resisted well to the nature of my job and the nature of football. 11 years waiting for this. It took time, but it’s come in a moment when I’m stable and strong to face it.”
Earlier midfielder Cesc Fabregas denied suggestions of a rift with Mourinho, accusing “certain individuals from outside” of trying to destabilise the club and rejecting reports that he is leading an alleged dressing-room revolt.
“I would like to clarify that contrary to a few reports from some online websites, I am extremely happy at Chelsea and have an excellent relationship with the manager,” Fabregas wrote on Twitter.
