Branislav Ivanovic: Chelsea could not cope with pressure of being champions... we lost control of our game, of our minds

His eight years at Chelsea have always been thrilling, often turbulent and never dull but Branislav Ivanovic can recall no time quite like the start of this season.

It is a time he regards, from a personal point of view, as one of the lowest moments of his career, and he reflects on it with disarming honesty.

Perhaps it is easier to look back as things fall into place again and pride is restored. Chelsea are climbing the Premier League, anticipating a big Champions League night and an FA Cup quarter-final.

Defender Branislav Ivanovic has admitted Chelsea did not cope with the pressure of being champions

The Serbia international drew criticism for his under-par performances at the beginning of the season

Ivanovic celebrates Diego Costa's goal against Norwich, which takes their recent unbeaten run to 11 games

The dressing room simply did not handle the pressure of being champions and, according to Ivanovic, they ‘lost control’.

He suspects owner Roman Abramovich would have changed ‘all 25’ players given the chance but, as ever, it was the manager, Jose Mourinho, who was ousted and replaced by Guus Hiddink. ‘We didn’t know what was going wrong around us,’ said Ivanovic. ‘No-one inside the club knew. We finished brilliantly last season. We won the trophy. We knew how difficult it was.

‘Jose told us the hardest season in football is the year after you win because everyone else has extra motivation. We were ready for that, but we didn’t start well and we lost control of our game, of our minds.

‘For me that period of three or four months was one of the most disappointing moments in my career. Player by player, we could not deal with the pressure of what being champions of England means.

‘Your opponents have big motivation and they look at you differently, they start to be scared of you.

‘But when we didn’t win for six or seven games, people realised we were not as strong as last season. They could use that. And then they weren’t scared of us. This was our problem as players.’

Jose Mourinho (left) was sacked after guiding Chelsea to the worst title defence in Premier League history

Ivanovic insists the players not the Portuguese were to blame for the champion's fall from grace

Ivanovic takes part in a training session at Cobham ahead of Stoke's visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday

After years of incredible consistency, Ivanovic saw his own form slip. ‘I thought about it a lot,’ said the 32-year-old. ‘I took criticism from the public, but I was more critical of myself. All players are most critical of themselves.

‘I tried to find the reason why I was not performing as I was last season. We gave everything last season. Even more than we could. And we didn’t realise how dangerous it was to be champions. We fell down quickly. We didn’t know what was going on around us.

‘I had an injury and was not 100 per cent clear in my head what I was doing, what I had to do.

‘Jose didn’t change. He didn’t change the way he prepared the game. He didn’t change the way he treated us. He didn’t change anything. He was the same.

‘Football is about players. The managers are not on the pitch. It is 11 against 11. You have to be better than your opponent and, at the beginning of the season, we weren’t.

‘The players were more responsible for that situation than the manager. Of course it is difficult in football to change 25 players halfway through the season.

‘But I think at this club if (Abramovich) could have, he would have changed all of us as well. It’s difficult to say it was only one guy’s responsibility.’

The uncompromising defender admits Chelsea failed to realise how 'dangerous it was to be champions'

Guus Hiddink (2nd right) was drafted in as interim manager and has lost only once in 16 games

BRANISLAV IVANOVIC GIVES HIS LOWDOWN ON EIGHT CHELSEA BOSSES 

Avram Grant

At the start I felt like I would never play for the club, but I used the time to learn and adapt. Your brain has to work quickly. Even though I didn’t play, I enjoyed the moment.

Luiz Felipe Scolari

Completely different style of management. Based on motivation. He was very good. I learned a lot.

Guus Hiddink

The guy who gave me my first big chance. I grew from a small baby to a big man. He was amazing for me and I really appreciate everything. The two goals against Liverpool (in the Champions League) changed my career.

Carlo Ancelotti

He gave me confidence, what I really needed. I was very close to him. I thought I would like to finish my career with him. He was so nice, so good. But in football things change.

Ivanovic revealed he would like to have finished his career playing under Carlo Ancelotti

Andre Villas-Boas

It was different. Everyone here was comparing him with Jose. For the guys who didn’t work with Jose before it was something new, a new style of training, a new philosophy. It didn’t work because we didn’t adapt to that.

Roberto Di Matteo

He was the most successful manager when you see the trophies. Robbie did a great job for all of us. He was smart, he saw the situation. We were feeling together, we knew we could win something big for the club.

Rafa Benitez

He was the manager who really tried to change our way of thinking. We won the Europa League, and it was my goal (against Benfica), the most important of my career. So many emotions. It was like a night from your dreams.

Jose Mourinho 

He is a Special One, the Perfect One. Completely different from anything else. I had a feeling he could see three games ahead. He made decisions that made you go: ‘Wow. Is this real? Nobody can see that.’ Tactical things, preparation. We were motivated. We were really something.

Despite their dismal title defence, Chelsea still have the FA Cup and Champions League (above) to play for

Since Abramovich fired Mourinho in December, Chelsea have lost only once in 16 games, a 2-1 Champions League defeat in Paris with the return leg on Wednesday.

In the Premier League, they are unbeaten in 11 games under interim boss Hiddink ahead of Saturday's game at home to Stoke.

‘Guus deserves a lot of credit,’ said Ivanovic. ‘He is doing an amazing job. But it was all about the players. Changing the manager woke us up and scared us.

‘When we had Jose, we had a shield in front of us. We had someone to protect us, to be criticised first.

‘Now it is only us. We cannot blame someone else. We have no-one around us, and we have to start winning games, which is the aim of the club.

‘Chelsea did not deserve to be in the situation they were in for November and December. Now we are doing well. We are trying to do everything we can to save the season.

‘We don’t know what this means at the moment. We have to go step by step.’

The 32-year-old is a contender to take over as captain should John Terry leave in the summer as expected

Ivanovic, pictured winning the ball against Norwich's Cameron Jerome, has rediscovered his best form

Ivanovic was speaking in support of the club's equality work, which fights against racism and homophobia

Ivanovic’s own form is back to its best. He has signed a new deal until the end of next season and has been captain in the absence of John Terry.

At Norwich on Tuesday, he made his 350th appearance for Chelsea and, with Terry set to leave in the summer, the Serb is his obvious successor.

‘Difficult question,’ said Ivanovic, when asked if he fancied the role. ‘We have a captain. I do not like to think about what happens in the future.

‘I try to do my best and be ready if it happens. I would hope not to change what I am now. If not, I’m happy like this. I am captain of my national team so I know what the pressure is like.

‘A good captain must be successful. Win the trophies. Winners are always right.

‘On the pitch, you need to be the person all the others look to. When we concede a goal, we always look to John and see his reaction.

‘Always you expect a positive one. Off the pitch, you need to be professional, set a good example.

‘In the last couple of years we have lost some leadership. We had big players who built this team. Also, we were winning and when you are winning you make new leaders.

‘We have enough resources to make more leaders. But in my opinion we have lost a bit of leadership.’

Warrior Ivanovic played with a boot full of blood before scoring the winner vs Liverpool in the Capital One Cup

Serb heads home in extra-time as Chelsea beat Liverpool on their way to winning last season's League Cup

Ivanovic has always been a warrior, an intimidating physical presence with a goal knack, hailed by Mourinho as a ‘competitive animal’ with a ‘big heart’ after playing on with a boot full of blood to score the winner against Liverpool in a Capital One Cup semi-final last season.

‘When I went home I did not feel the pain,’ said Ivanovic. ‘Not because the doctor gave me tablets, but because, when the manager says that about you, you are so happy that you cannot feel the pain. He knows that.

‘I was at home looking at my foot thinking I would not recover for a couple of weeks. Then I came in next morning and Jose said: “You ready, yeah?” I wasn’t, but I said: “Yeah”.

‘I played with stitches and it was bleeding. Ninety-five per cent of our team would have done the same. It was a moment we were enjoying; a moment when we did not have time to feel the pain.’ 

Ivanovic speaks to Sportsmail's Matt Barlow ahead of Chelsea's annual Game For Equality at the weekend

Branislav Ivanovic is supporting Chelsea’s annual Game for Equality which takes place against Stoke City this weekend. In association with Kick It Out, Football v Homophobia, Show Racism the Red Card, the Gay Football Supporters’ Network the Premier League and the Football Association. Chelsea will be celebrating their equality and diversity work and underline their commitment to tackling discrimination in all forms, while promoting equality throughout the club, communities and supporters.