The media talk about sacking Mauricio Pochettino has been there over the past few months, with Chelsea failing to improve on last season's poor form.
The Blues are 11th in the Premier League standings and lost to Liverpool in the League Cup final.
John Obi Mikel says that he backs Poch but understands that the results he's showing would have led him to a dismissal during the Roman Abramovich regime.
“Some of the criticism has been over the top, but we went through the same thing playing for Chelsea when we were not winning, getting criticised and watching managers losing their jobs,” the former Blues midfielder told the Evening Standard.
“This is Chelsea. You have to win. You have to win games and trophies. Yes, we’ve given them time, but they have had time to start gelling, coming together, and playing much better.
“I defend the players and coach. They have to be given time, but how much time? This is Chelsea FC.
“If this was the Abramovich era, he would have lost his job, but I hope the new owners give Poch time. Let’s see where we finish at the end of the season.
“The final would have given him breathing space but now we need a run of winning games to see where we end up finishing. Then it will be up to the owners to make a decision.”
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