Nemanja Matic believes Chelsea will be challenging for top honours again next season after a disappointing 2015-16 campaign.
The Stamford Bridge outfit won the Premier League last season, but have been unable to replicate that title-winning form this term and find themselves languishing in mid-table with two games to play.
However, Matic is confident they can get back to their best again next year under the guidance of Antonio Conte, who will take over after leading Italy at Euro 2016.
"This is football, sometimes you win, sometimes you don't," Matic told the official Chelsea website.
"'Last season we were champions but this season we were not even close. We will see in the future what we can do.
"This season was not good for us, but I believe in our quality, I believe in myself and I know what I can do. We will see what we can do next year. Every season is a different story.
"'Everything can change in a couple of months. We had the winning mentality, we were champions, and then in a couple of months we lost that.
"In a couple of months, everything can be back. We'll see."
However, Matic's future at Stamford Bridge is not entirely secure after admitting his non-celebration against Sunderland was pre-planned.
The deep-lying Serbian midfielder netted the Blues' second goal in first-half stoppage time to put Guus Hiddink's side in front, before ultimately falling to a 3-2 defeat at the Stadium of Light.
Despite the congratulations from his team-mates, Matic - who has been linked with a move to Juventus - refused to break a smile after finding the back of the net, fuelling speculation he could leave in the summer.
"I have my reasons," he answered when questioned on his failure to celebrate his second goal of the season.
"Everything can change in a couple of months."
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- Goal