Maurizio Sarri says Chelsea have been more successful than Arsenal this season because they have reached the Carabao Cup final.
Both sides are on 50 points in the Premier League, out of the FA Cup and through to the Europa League last 16.
Sarri is under increasing pressure at Chelsea after a poor run, including a 6-0 defeat to Manchester City who they face in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Football and compared his side’s season to Arsenal in an attempt to silence his critics.
“It’s important to win the final,” Sarri said. “It’s very important for us, we have to find confidence. We are in the first final of the season and one point off the [Premier League] top four.
“Arsenal’s season is good but we’re doing a little bit better because we are in the final, and our season is a disaster? I am not able to understand.
“I want to remind you that in the last two seasons this team had 70 points, not 100. In the summer, we changed everything. It is not easy.”
Chelsea ended City’s unbeaten start to the 2018/19 season when they won 2-0 in December, before Pep Guardiola’s side took revenge with a 6-0 thumping earlier this month.
Sarri reflected on those two very different games and admits Chelsea must “stay in the match for a long time” if they have any hope of lifting the Carabao Cup trophy on Sunday.
“I thought we were lucky in the first match because we were in trouble in the first half, we scored in the last minute of the first half and then the match changed.