Asmir Begovic acknowledges that Chelsea are playing well below their best this season.

The Blues find themselves 16th on the Premier League table having won just two of their opening eight fixtures as their title defence continues to falter.

Goalkeeper Begovic, who arrived from Stoke City in the summer, is well aware of the standards the West London club sets itself and can safely say that at this point in time, those qualities are nonexistent.

"It's not the standard this club and team has set so for us at the moment it is a very difficult time," Begovic told the club's official website.

"Hopefully this break comes at a good time and we can regroup, get a good result in the next game and drive on from there.

"When things are not going your way it's tough; we're playing against a lot of things at the moment, it's a mental thing as well, but it's just something we've got to keep fighting through.

"Hopefully one result will get the confidence going again and we can kick on. We have to show character and we can't feel sorry for ourselves.

"That's life, that's football – you have ups and downs. We're going through a down at this moment and we need to improve. We need to get back to basics, work even harder, and I'm sure collectively we'll do that.

"It's important we stay positive; we know we can be a good team, we know we can play better. First and foremost we've got to look to the next game.

"Hopefully everyone is fit when we get back from the break and then we get a result and we can look forward from there.

"Obviously the goal is still to be challenging at the top of the table."