Ramires has claimed that he and his Chelsea teammates can shrug off their early-season crisis and retain the Premier League title.

Jose Mourinho's men sit 16th in the table following a dramatic start to a league campaign which has seen them win just eight points from a possible 24, losing four times already.

The Blues lie 10 points behind leaders Manchester City, but the Brazilian midfielder is convinced that such a deficit is not beyond him and his teammates.

"Maybe one of the teams at the top will drop some points. History is there to be changed. I strongly believe we have the quality to do it," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "It's definitely been the toughest time of my career at Chelsea. I've been here for five years and this is the worst moment.

"We only have three points in the Champions League and we are near the bottom of the table. But I've had experiences like this before in Brazil and we were able to get back.

"We're hoping that after the international break, we can get a few wins in a row, starting with the Aston Villa game and go from there, trying to get as high as we can."

Mourinho and co host Aston Villa in West London next Saturday, before concluding the month with a trip to West Ham United and then the visit of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.