Arsenal Star Reveals What Was Key To The Chelsea Win
They were far more determined than we were, I can't accept that.
Sarri must now hope for a positive response from his players, starting in Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham, but his explosive comments should not shield him from scrutiny himself.
"Why not? Sincerely, I hope so because when you have a striker like Alex near to you then he's really good to play with".
It's not just Kante and Hazard, either. David Luiz, so often outstanding in the centre of a back three, is no longer afforded the same protection.
But the former Sevilla boss believes the ex-Germany playmaker, who is Arsenal's highest-paid star, can still thrive at Emirates Stadium.
Frustrated supporters would love to see Sarri relax his approach and adopt some flexibility in the face of adversity, but the reality is that that is unlikely to happen.
"Don't get me wrong, we could have lost that game anyway, but we could have lost it for tactical reasons", he said.
Chelsea looks an unhappy place to be at present, and if Sarri doesn't at least consider switching things up, things may not end well for him.
Chelsea didn't manage a shot on target until the 82nd minute as Eden Hazard was shackled by Unai Emery's tactics, as he led the forward line with Alvaro Morata's future in doubt and Olivier Giroud left on the bench. "I'll also frustrate the next manager I have".
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is notoriously trigger happy when it comes to coaches, with Sarri being the 12th different manager he has employed since taking over the Stamford Bridge club in 2003. If the past tells us anything, it's that Sarri needs his vision to take shape quickly. Let us know in the comments.
If Chelsea's performance against Arsenal looked disjointed, numerous players believe that is because the squad are divided up with the defenders on one pitch and the midfielders and forwards on another, training separately from each other.