Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho continues to have the ''full support'' of the club, despite his team's 3-1 demolition at the hands of Southampton.

The Blues are 16th in the table after Saints inflicted a fourth defeat in eight games, in front of Blues owner Roman Abramovich on Saturday.

Following the 3-1 reverse at Stamford Bridge, which could have been even more lopsided, Mourinho said he would only quit if he lost the backing of the players, with club captain John Terry stating the dressing room remained firmly behind the Portuguese coach.

Defending Premier League champions Chelsea took the unusual step of reiterating their backing in a statement on the official club website early on Monday afternoon.

''The club wants to make it clear that Jose continues to have our full support,'' the statement read.

''As Jose has said himself, results have not been good enough and the team's performances must improve.

''However, we believe that we have the right manager to turn this season around and that he has the squad with which to do it.''