Cesc Fabregas says his relationship with manager Jose Mourinho remains good even if he and teammates Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are the Chelsea players most often on the end of criticism from their boss.
Chelsea's awful start to the Premier League season has seen Mourinho come under increasing pressure, with reports of issues between the Portuguese coach and many members of the Stamford Bridge dressing room.
Mourinho has often publicly singled out individuals for criticism after poor performances, and Fabregas and Hazard have both been left out of the team on a regular basis through recent weeks.
The former Barcelona midfielder told Spanish radio show El Partido de las 12 that he, along with Hazard and Costa, had been on the receiving end of some tellings-off from Mourinho, but that did not mean their overall relationship had suffered.
"When things are going well you are the best, and when they go badly you are over and no good for anything," Fabregas said. "Maybe the players who have been clipped around the ears most in the time we've been together have been Hazard, Diego Costa and me.
"My relationship with Mourinho is good, as always, but when things are not going well there is always a search for alternatives."
Fabregas also strongly denied that he was the source of leaks from the dressing room to the press.
"Somebody invented that it was me who was leaking things from the dressing room," he said. "I do not know where that came from. I must stand up for myself."
Fabregas believes Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would stick with Mourinho through this rough spell.
"I do not believe they are going to sack Mou," he said. "He trusts in us, and we trust in him, and we must come out of this bad moment all together. Our results are not showing our level of play. But I am sure they will get better."
Fabregas was also asked about his former Barca coach Pep Guardiola, who has been linked with a move to England when his current contract at Bayern Munich ends next summer.
"I have no doubt that Guardiola will try out the Premier League [at some point]," Cesc said.