'Can't understand what has happened': Sterling says Chelsea players baffled by poor form

Chelsea's players are struggling to find answers for their poor run of form this season, Raheem Sterling said, but the attacker maintained that the Premier League club can turn around their fortunes under the right manager.

Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Brentford on Wednesday left them 11th in the standings, stumbling towards possibly their worst campaign since the 1993/94 season - when they finished 14th under Glenn Hoddle - despite their new U.S. owners' huge outlay on players.

"We are disappointed when we come off the pitch and feel angry and disappointed. There are times when we finish a game you just sit in the changing room looking into space because you can't understand what has just happened," Sterling told The Sun in an interview published on Friday.

"It's tough to take. You are always trying to look for a positive solution. There will be conversations, players trying to come to terms with what has happened in the last ten minutes or so. It's not easy."

Chelsea are currently being led by interim boss Frank Lampard, with former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino the frontrunner for the permanent role.

"We need to look in the right direction and look to whoever comes in as the next manager to build for the future," said Sterling, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City for about 47.5 million pounds ($59.72 million) in July.

"I enjoyed my time at my previous club and won a lot of trophies. But I like a new challenge and this is the challenge I signed up for. It will taste even sweeter to win silverware coming from a moment like this than if you were winning every single week.

"The ability in the dressing room is undeniable and if we have someone who can take control of that we are more than capable of challenging every year."