Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has has claimed that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was ‘lucky’ to receive the amount of time he did to overhaul their squad. 

The former Napoli manager is under increasing pressure at Stamford Bridge following a number of high-profile defeats to City and Manchester United in recent weeks, while the tactics deployed since his appointment in the summer has led to fans of the club becoming frustrated. 

Speaking ahead of Chelsea‘s Carabao Cup final against holders Manchester City this Sunday, the Italian chose to remind people about the time Guardiola was afforded to succeed at the Citizens, with the Spaniard failing to win any piece of silverware during his first season in charge in 2016/17. 

As quoted by Sky Sports, he said: “He (Guardiola) was lucky. I think that, if you choose Guardiola, you have to wait because the club knows very well that Guardiola needs time. In my job, I need the result. Nothing else.”

One reason for the criticism that Sarri has received during his tenure at Chelsea has been due to the positional change of two-time Premier League winner, N’Golo Kante, into a more advanced position to accommodate summer signing Jorginho, who was subjected to boos during their most-recent game against Malmo.

The World Cup winner however suggested the reaction was due to the team’s last performance – a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in the fifth round of the FA Cup – rather than singling out one player for criticism. 

“As a team we have some difficulty at the moment but we are all together and no-one’s special. 

The reaction of the supporters is more general about our last performance. We can understand their disappointment.”

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The Frenchman also showed support to Sarri for his change in position, adding: “I’m enjoying participating more in the offensive positions.”