Jose Mourinho has told La Gazzetta dello Sport he is proud that Chelsea made a statement to confirm that they still support his management.
Premier League champions Chelsea are languishing in 16th place with eight points from as many games.
The Portuguese, a two-time Champions League winner, has defended his record and reputation after losing to Southampton last weekend by saying sacking him would be like sacking "the best manager this club has ever had."
Chelsea backed him with a statement on Monday in which they wanted "to make it clear that Jose continues to have our full support."
"I'm really proud of it," he said. "It shows the faith [owner Roman] Abramovich has in the manager who has won three Premier League titles with this club. I thank him and continue my work."
That work is now more intense than ever as Mourinho tries to get to the root of his side's early-season problems.
"I don't know what's wrong," the 52-year-old continued. "Chelsea's results right now are truly awful. I cannot, nor do I want to hide the reality. And I'm struggling to find an explanation. But I can assure you this: I'm working harder than ever before and we will get through this.
"And then there is the Champions League, which I'm certainly not going to abandon."
Mourinho, who has said he would quit if he lost his players' trust, has received public backing from several members of his squad in recent days, including John Terry, Kurt Zouma and Cesc Fabregas.
The Chelsea boss also hit back at former AC Milan and Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello, who said Mourinho's "cycles" tend to last only 18 months.
Capello is currently out of work after being sacked as Russia boss, and Mourinho said: "I think a coach with a history like his would have been better off talking about football without commenting on the work of his colleagues.
"I could have commented on his work when he was manager of England or Russia, but I never did. That's because I prefer to respect the negative moments my colleagues might go through.
"I prefer to talk about Fabio Capello for the many great moments of his career filled with extraordinary successes."
Chelsea are not alone among Europe's big clubs to have encountered difficulties this season. In Italy, Juventus' bid for a fifth straight Scudetto has suffered from a slow start.
"Serie A has never been as open as it is today," Mourinho said. "It seems like Juve have started a bit like Chelsea, and like Chelsea they will bounce back. It's just a matter of time.
"Roma and Napoli are the two clubs who could benefit in a season where Juve are no longer overwhelming favourites."
Mourinho's former club Inter Milan are also up there, as are Fiorentina -- coached by his compatriot Paulo Sousa.
"Paulo's a great coach," Mourinho said. "I'm delighted for him. He's worked a lot and hard to get here. There are many coaches who start off in a big club without getting some fundamental experience, yet he was humble and worked in Hungary, Israel, in the Championship and in Switzerland.
"It's only now that he's ready and prepared for Italy. He's studious; he gathers in formation. You can see his handwriting on Fiorentina.
"I wouldn't be that disappointed if I were a Nerazzurri fan either. Compared to recent years, Inter are doing really well. They've started the season to fight for the Scudetto. They are in the group of candidates."