Graham Potter insisted he still has the support of the Chelsea room after their heavy defeat away at Manchester City in the FA Cup.
Chelsea lost 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium and pressure is building on Potter.
Supporters in the away end chanted for former manager Thomas Tuchel, as well as Roman Abramovich, as Potter battles to turn things around at Stamford Bridge.
Asked if his players were still giving their all for him, Potter denied his squad are downing tools despite the atmosphere at the club becoming increasingly negative.
Potter said: “This opponent is probably the worst you can play when things aren’t going well because they can make it look like you’re not running or trying because their positional structure is brilliant, they use the full width of the pitch, they keep the ball and make it difficult for you to put pressure on them.
“In the end, it’s easy to do that but I am working with the players and am not getting any sense of people with a poor attitude. Everyone wants to try to do better.
“I think there is support in the dressing room, it’s just we’re going through a bad moment and sometimes when you have these moments you need somebody to blame, something to blame, and I understand where that question comes from.
“But at the same time, we have to stick together and keep working.”
Chelsea’s owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are understood to be trying to build the new era at Stamford Bridge around Potter and have insisted they want to give him time.
Potter has previously urged those on the outside to understand that the hire-and-fire approach under Roman Abramovich has changed along with the direction of the club.
But Potter had to respond to a mutinous atmosphere among the Chelsea fanbase, with chants of “Super Tommy Tuchel” and “Roman Abramovich” audible in the away end.
“We can’t do anything apart from do our jobs better and work harder,” he said. “We understand the supporters’ frustration, that is understandable and we’ll respect that.
“Our job is to do our jobs, to keep working, see the situation for what it is, and of course there are always other opinions, negativity and criticism because the results haven’t been positive. That’s part of the job and the challenge.
“We play [Fulham] on Thursday and it’s an important game for us. We need to stay together as a group, support each other, and I’m sure we will get the support of the supporters when we see good performances and results.”
