Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has revealed how the pressure of the top flight affects the team after admitting the players are completely different on matchdays.
The Blues have been thrust in the spotlight this season after getting their title charge off to a poor start with seven Premier League losses already this term - including two heavy defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool.
Such disappointing results for the champions resulted in coach Jose Mourinho admitting in October his players were "really sad in the dressing room" but remained together in their aim of trying to resurrect their campaign.
And, after managing to seemingly get their season back on track with three successive wins in all competitions, Ivanovic has revealed the pressure to win games has affected the squad but said the players still ensure they motivate each other before matches.
"The period before and after a match is completely different to any other time because we are under pressure from the game and we feel things changing inside ourselves – we are completely different people," he told Chelsea's official website.
"Inside the dressing room, we motivate each other and are really different than we are on normal days.
"That atmosphere we create before the game is a big influence on every big result we get.
"We all celebrate differently when we win, but in that period immediately after the game you can see how important a win is to us and how much it means to the team.
"This is an expression of how we are all feeling and it’s important to have this passion within the team.
"All of us have different routines but in the end, when you look at it, the motivation is very similar in all of us."
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