Chelsea Boss Maurizio Sarri Says Champions League Is Easier Than Carabao Cup

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has said his side would have had an easier time reaching the UEFA Champions League final this season than they did getting to the last stage of the Carabao Cup.

The Blues missed out on League Cup glory after losing to Manchester City on penalties at Wembley Stadium in February.

Sarri's side are fifth in the Premier League and are preparing for the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, and the Italian told reporters how tight the competition is in English football:

"I know very well that the Premier League is really very difficult. Not forgetting, to reach the final of the League Cup we had to play against Liverpool, against Tottenham, and then the final against Manchester City. It was easier to get to the final in the Champions League I think!

"So it's really very difficult to get in the top four in the Premier League, but in this moment of course when you arrive in the semi-final it will also be really very difficult in the Europa League at this point. You cannot expect something easy, but we have to try in both, it's not time to choose."

Former Napoli boss Sarri will see his Chelsea side face Eintracht Frankfurt in the last four of the Europa League. If the Blues win the tournament, they will also automatically qualify for the Champions League next season.

The 60-year-old recently addressed the media and underlined his desire to clinch the European trophy in what would be his second major final appearance in his maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge, via Hayters TV:

Sarri has little preference in precisely how his club returns to Europe's elite competition, with the Blues level on points with Arsenal and two points ahead of Manchester United in the hunt for a place in the Premier League's top four:

"At the moment we cannot choose. We have to try in the Premier League, we have to try in the Europa League, but we want to win the Europa League because it's a very important competition, not for going in the Champions League.

"So we have to try in the Premier League to get in the top four. It's not easy for us because we have to play only four matches, but we have to try. I think in the last four, five matches it will be very difficult for every team involved in the fight for the top four, not only for us. I think we can see some very strange results in the last part of the season, we have only to fight and see at the end."

Perhaps Sarri's comments are a nod to the fact less fancied teams such as Ajax and London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have upset the odds to qualify for the Champions League semis this season.

Chelsea have confidently strutted their way into the Europa League's last four, although the second leg of their 5-3 aggregate quarter-final win over Slavia Prague was shaky at times, via BT Sport (UK only):

Sarri's first experience of the Carabao Cup was a trial by fire considering Championship side Derby County—who eliminated Manchester United—were the only non-Premier League team they faced.

It speaks volumes of Chelsea's competition across multiple fronts that they've played close to 60 matches this season and we're yet to enter May. 

Sarri's arrival promised a more exciting brand of football in west London, and OptaJoe suggested that's being delivered:

The first priority for the club is regaining their place in the Champions League, after which Sarri can test his theory as to how the Carabao Cup compares against Europe's most celebrated contest.