Pep Guardiola Says Maurizio Sarri Needs Chelsea to 'Really Believe' in His Style

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri needs the club's owners to have belief in him following the Premier League showdown between the two teams on Sunday.

City romped to a 6-0 victory against the Blues, storming out of the blocks and going four goals ahead inside 25 minutes. Chelsea looked to be attacking at the Etihad Stadium and City were able to make use of the space they left to devastating effect.

After the game Guardiola gushed over his own team's display and also said the Chelsea higher-ups need to have faith that Sarri will be able to turn things around, per Sam Lee of Goal:

The Italian is renowned for his possession-based philosophy, something he refined to great effect during his time at Napoli.

When the setup works to its best the team is able to control long spells of the game, win the ball back in dangerous areas and cut through opposition defences with sharp incision. However, when the brand of football does break down, teams can become fractured.

It's something that's happened frequently for Chelsea in recent weeks, with the City defeat not their only heavy loss on the road. As relayed by Melissa Reddy of Football Joe, they've struggled across their last three away matches:

Duncan Alexander of Opta put the recent issues endured by the team away from Stamford Bridge into further context:

Instilling a style as complex as Sarri's was always going to take time for Chelsea, especially given the turbulent summer that preceded this campaign.

The Italian was only appointed late in the off season, meaning there was minimal time for him to bring in players who suit his setup. Jorginho was one addition, although his impressive start to life in English football has seen teams specifically seek to limit his influence.

If Chelsea are going to reach the standards Sarri was able to consistently draw from Napoli then it's going to take a while, and it'll be intriguing to see if the Blues do remain patient with their boss despite the mounting pressure.

As relayed by journalist Paul Brown, there has been some scathing criticism of the manager after the City mauling:

Chelsea still have positives to salvage from this season. They are one of the favourites for the UEFA Europa League, in the final of the Carabao Cup (when they will meet City again) and are by no means detached in the top four race, with just two points separating them and Manchester United.

Following a result of this nature the response in the following game is always fascinating to observe. Sarri will want to see big performances from his players on Thursday in the Europa League against Malmo and next Monday when they meet Manchester United in the FA Cup.