Sagna while training

EPL club Arsenal scared of rivals Chelsea, according to Sagna

Former EPL right-back Bacary Sagna revealed on an Arsenal podcast, that the Gunners had an inferiority complex while playing against Chelsea. He goes on to say that he left Arsenal in 2014 because of this reason.

Arsenal scared of Chelsea in EPL

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The French right-back was talking about the failure of Arsenal to win the EPL when he talked about Chelsea. He said that whenever these sides faced off in the EPL, Arsenal constantly underappreciated their talent to beat Chelsea.

"I believe we under-evaluated ourselves. Playing for Chelsea image-wise was something different"
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He goes on to say that the Arsenal players were overawed when interacting with their EPL counterparts with the national team.

"They used their image a lot, they used to have some big players in the national team and we used to talk about them more than they talked about us."
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The former Manchester City right-back says that before the EPL game with Chelsea, the Arsenal players would not be mentally prepared to be at their best.

"Maybe in our heads, they were bigger players than us. On the pitch, we had as much quality as they had whenever we played, and when we played the Arsenal way nobody could beat us. I believed nobody could beat us. We used to play simple passes, one, two-touches maximum. But I believe we under-evaluated ourselves which is a big mistake in life."

Different Arsenal when playing top teams in EPL

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Sagna says that this is not just the case against Chelsea but also the other big teams in the EPL.

"We just played game by game and we were winning a lot but obviously and eventually when we had to perform in certain games, we were failing. Maybe it was because we put too much pressure on ourselves. Most of the games we had to play, we played well and we won. But for example when we had to play against the top four, we found it difficult to play against them at that time."
Sagna making a marauding run with ball
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Arsenal were on course to win the 2010/11 EPL and were challenging Manchester City and Manchester United near the summit of the table. A devastating defeat against Birmingham City in the League Cup Final precipitated a drastic downturn in form in the EPL. This saw them crash out of the FA Cup and Champions League in the space of 5 days and translated into a terrible run in the league of 2 wins in 11 Premier League games. Arsenal would go on to finish that season trophyless.

Arsenal state of play in the EPL

Lacazette shakes hands with Issa Diop after fulltime in a recent Premier League game
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Arsenal, at the start of the lockdown, were 9th in the EPL table, one point behind Tottenham, with a game in hand. They have had a wretched season in which they've had three managers in the EPL — Unai Emery, Freddie Ljungberg and now, Mikel Arteta. They have been rudderless in the EPL, having a non-existent defence and no cutting-edge in attack.

They have been better under Arteta, as he has somewhat rectified the defence. He has overseen over a solid run of games without conceding. Arsenal would be looking to get into the European places in the EPL so that they have a semblance of a chance of attracting top players.

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Edited by
Sai Teja
 
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