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		</div><p>A seething Maurizio Sarri launched an extraordinary attack on his Chelsea players after Saturday’s limp 2-0 Premier League loss at Arsenal.</p>
<p>Chelsea’s only defeat in their prior 14 Premier League games against Arsenal was the 3-0 loss in September 2016 which saw Antonio Conte make dramatic changes, leading to a run of 13 successive wins and the 2016-17 title.</p>
<p>But goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Laurent Koscielny earned the Gunners a deserved win, which saw them move three points behind the fourth-placed Blues to enliven the race for Champions League qualification. Manchester United are sixth, behind Arsenal on goal difference.</p>
<p>Sarri was left furious, switching to his native Italian for his post-match media conference – <em>“to send a message to my players and I want my message to be very clear,”</em> he said – as the 60-year-old attacked his their attitude and personalities.</p>
<p>Sarri said: <em>“I have to say I’m extremely angry, very angry indeed. This defeat was due to our mentality, more than anything else.</em></p>
<p><em>“This is something I can’t accept. We had a similar issue in the league game at Tottenham (in November).</em></p>
<p><em>“I thought we’d overcome this issue. But it appears we still have this issue.</em></p>
<p><em>“This group of players are extremely difficult to motivate.”</em></p>
<p>Sarri has regularly criticized his players’ determination and motivation this season, but went a step further in analyzing their flaws.</p>
<p><em>“It seems to me that, as a group of players, they’re not particularly aggressive from a mental point of view,”</em> he added.</p>
<p><em>“They don’t have that ferocity in their mentality. That’s down to the type of players they are, their characteristics.</em></p>
<p><em>“It’s something that is difficult to change. It could take quite a long time.”</em></p>
<p>Change could come from a new player, or leadership, Sarri said.</p>
<p>He insists he has the appetite to make the change, but suggested the available personnel are the issue.</p>
<p>His former striker Gonzalo Higauin has been linked with a move to Chelsea, complicated by the fact he is already on loan at AC Milan from Juventus.</p>
<p><em>“I’m very aware of the fact this is never going to be a team well known for its battling and fighting qualities,”</em> he added.</p>
<p><em>“But what we need to become is a team capable of adapting, a team that can perhaps suffer for 10, 15 minutes during the game but then play our own football. Today we didn’t play our own football.”</em></p>
<p>The former Napoli boss has steadfastly stuck to a 4-3-3 formation, but absolved himself of tactical blame, despite Jorginho’s continued struggles as a central playmaker and the blunt attacking display with Eden Hazard as a ‘false nine’.</p>
<p><em>“Don’t get me wrong, we could have lost that game anyway, but we could have lost it for tactical reasons,”</em> he said.</p>
<p><em>“I think that we lost it because of our determination. But I couldn’t possibly say I am not responsible as well, in part at least, for the mental approach. That’s something we have to share.”</em></p>
<p>Sarri was uncompromising in his view when asked if the players should fear for their places.</p>
<p>He added: <em>“It’s important my players have the attitude I’m asking them to have. If they don’t have that, then maybe they shouldn’t be playing at this level.”</em></p>
<p>Arsenal boss Unai Emery, in contrast, praised his players’ efforts.</p>
<p>Defeat would have left Arsenal nine points adrift of the top four, following last week’s loss to West Ham.</p>
<p>Now they are well in the hunt and Emery wants consistency in performances.</p>
<p>Emery said: <em>“Today, every circumstance came with us. The mentality was good.</em></p>
<p><em>“And we want to have the same mentality today at home and away – which we haven’t yet.”</em></p>
<p>The one down side was the knee injury to Hector Bellerin, which saw the right back carried off.</p>
<p><em>“We have to wait until tomorrow, but first impressions are not positive,”</em> Emery added.</p>
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