Cesc Fabregas insists Chelsea's horror opening to their title defence is the fault of the playing group.

The reigning Premier League champions find themselves teetering in 16th position having lost nine of their opening 16 matches, culminating in Monday night's 2-1 defeat at Leicester City.

Regarding the fortunes of the recent criticism that has been directed at manager Jose Mourinho, midfielder Fabregas said the burden must fall on the players and not the coaching staff as the West London side strive to rescue what is left of a disastrous campaign.

"We will all have to take responsibility. If you are a big player and paid like a big player, you must play like a big player and behave like a big player," the 28-year-old said at a live Q&A session alongside Arsenal legend Thierry Henry at Facebook London.

"I am not saying you can't have a bad season and bad games. We all have big players and small players, but the attitude must be spot on.

"We must always be at the top of our games, even when it's not and not the behaviour that we are seeing right now from every Chelsea player."