Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has admitted that he cannot explain the root of his side’s problems in recent weeks.
Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by Manchester City means Frank Lampard’s team have lost four of their last six Premier League matches.
Pep Guardiola’s side completely dominated proceedings at Stamford Bridge, stamping their game plan and authority on the match before half-time.
Ilkay Gundogan produced a smart turn and curled finish to put the visitors 1-0 up before Phil Foden swept in Kevin De Bruyne’s cross at the near post.
Chelsea were then caught on the break as De Bruyne finished off a counter-attack which had seen Raheem Sterling hit the post on 34 minutes.
City eased off the accelerator in the second half, and substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi scored an injury-time consolation from Kai Havertz’s cross, but Chelsea still suffered a damaging defeat.
The result followed defeats against Arsenal, Wolves and Chelsea in December, piling pressure on Lampard, and experienced centre-back Silva is at a loss over the Blues’ form.
“No, I don’t understand what’s wrong,” Silva told French outlet RMC Sport.
“If I understand before, I think I could have given some advice, but that’s how it is, it’s football, it’s the Premier League, one of the toughest championships around the world.
“You have to be careful, work harder, be stronger as a team, but I think the team is good, the second half was much better than the first in my opinion.
“We tried to play a little more, we managed to play. I think we were superior in possession of the ball in the second half, sometimes it does not work as we want, as we have prepared, but hey, that’s how it is football. We must prepare for the next match when it arrives.”
Silva, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, was a vital cog in a side which went on a 14-game unbeaten run across all competitions from 3 October to 12 December.
But performances have been slipping in recent weeks, with Silva and other summer arrivals like Havertz, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy unable to prevent a poor run of form.
Having been touted as title contenders in early December, Chelsea are now eighth in the Premier League and falling behind their rivals.
Reports have claimed that Lampard's job is under serious threat, with former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer warning that the Blues' first half performance against Manchester City was the kind of display which could lead to a sacking.
Lampard’s side now face League Two side Morecambe in the FA Cup third round on Sunday before crucial Premier League matches against Fulham and Leicester City.
