West Bromwich Albion skipper Darren Fletcher has insisted that people are foolish to dismiss Chelsea's Premier League title bid after two matches of the season.
The Blues have taken just one point from their opening two fixtures following their defeat to Manchester City last week, giving them their worst start under Jose Mourinho.
However, Fletcher feels that the criticism of Chelsea will spur them on to find their form sooner rather than later after his experience of playing under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
He told reporters: "It makes me smile. It's amazing how people jump to the conclusions after just two games. You can't dismiss champions. You only have to look at the manager they have got, the players they have got, the experience they can call on.
"I think every time that people write you off, you have to use it as a motivation. That's definite. It's the kind of thing Fergie would have said to us at United: 'People are writing you lot off already, so you've got to go out there and prove them wrong.'
"All you would have to do is put up a few newspaper cuttings on the dressing room wall and say: 'There you go – nobody thinks you're a good team anymore.' It's a long season – 38 games – and while ideally you would like to start the season by getting off to a flyer, it doesn't always work that way."
The Baggies play Chelsea at The Hawthorns on Sunday.
Simon Sinclair
