Chelsea striker Diego Costa has defended under-fire manager Jose Mourinho, saying the criticism from outsiders is unjustified.

The Blues have endured a less than satisfactory start to the Premier League season, which sees them currently sitting in 16th place, 10 points behind leaders Manchester City.

Costa said those looking to make Mourinho a scapegoat for the poor start were way off the mark.

"When things don't go the way everyone expects, people always look for someone to blame," Costa said.

"In some cases they blame the players, but in this case they blame the manager and maybe that's because it is Mourinho. I have seen sides losing more games than Chelsea, and no one criticises their managers.

"They can say whatever they want about Mourinho, but inside the dressing room, he is completely different from the idea people have of him.

"He gives us all the support we need, and the players talk to each other and we say he is the best manager you can have. Maybe he gets criticised because he's very good.

"Maybe he gets criticised because he's Mourinho."