Mourinho will get Chelsea back on top, says Lucio

Former Brazil defender Lucio has backed Jose Mourinho to overcome his recent difficulties and help Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League.

The reigning English champions sit 12th in the league table with a mere 11 points from nine games, while they have to settle for third spot in their Champions League group for now.

Nevertheless, Lucio is confident his former coach, under whom he won the treble with Inter in 2010, will eventually turn things around at Stamford Bridge.

"In Europe, Barcelona, Bayern [Munich], Real [Madrid] play at a very high level. In England also you have Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool who, along with Chelsea, play at a high level," World Cup-winning centre-back Lucio told IBTimes UK.

"It is not easy to stay at the top all the time. Knowing him, he is not happy with the situation as well. But, 100 per cent he will come out of it and be back at the top very soon. He is capable of it and will do it.

"Whenever the team loses, Mourinho is never smiling in the next training session. He always wants to win every game.

"At Inter, when we lost a match once, all of us avoided him in the next training. I ran past him not even looking at his face.

"But for me, he is the best manager I have played under in my career."