Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has suggested that Chelsea's slow start to the season can no longer be called "a blip" and must come to an end soon.

The Premier League champions are currently 14th in the table having won just two of their opening seven fixtures, and the former England international believes that manager Jose Mourinho needs to motivate his squad to improve.

"This is not a blip now, this is dragging on, and they need to come out of it," Neville told Sky Sports News. "I'm not sure where that's coming from but they need to get out of it pretty quickly.

"I remember times when you win the league, and it is quite normal the next season that you have a little dip at the start of the season. But I remember the manager would regularly come in after winning the league and say: 'Right, you're bored now, aren't you? But you have got to get yourselves going.'

"Chelsea are in that position now, where Mourinho somehow has to get his message over to the players, or they have to wake up themselves and recognise it is not good enough. It is nowhere near good enough."

Chelsea will take on Southampton in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday.