Man City boss Pep Guardiola suggests Maurizio Sarri treatment shows why Chelsea was never an option for him

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Pep Guardiola revealed his dismay at the pressure being applied to Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea.

Ahead of Sunday's EFL Cup final at Wembley, Manchester City's manager gave the clearest indication as to why he never even considered a move to Stamford Bridge.

Sarri's crisis-hit reign in West London has been pushed to the brink - and another heavy defeat to City could prove the final straw.

The Italian has come in for fierce criticism over his refusal to alter his 'Sarri-ball' tactics after humbling defeats to Bournemouth, City and Manchester United in recent weeks.

Guardiola remains a big admirer of the former Napoli coach – but did him no favours when overseeing a 6-0 win at the Etihad earlier this month.

That has piled the pressure on Sarri, whose troubles in his first year in the Premier League have parallels with Guardiola's struggles when he arrived on these shores.

But the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager, who was long-coveted by Roman Abramovich, insists the backing he received from City's hierarchy was the crucial factor behind his success.

"The situation is a little bit different," he said. "In my first year, never the club doubted me. It was never in the media that I'd be sacked if they lose this game or the other game. It never happened.

"I was surprised that when (Antonio) Conte won the title and they lost one or two games at the beginning of the season, people start to say he was going to be sacked.

"I said: 'Wow, but two or three months ago they won the Premier League.'

"The situation is completely different."

Guardiola ended up empty-handed in his first season at the Etihad and finished third in the Premier League.

But he stubbornly refused to alter his philosophy and was backed with a transfer budget of half a billion pounds to turn City into the dominant force in England – winning the title and the EFL Cup in his second year.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have had 13 managers during Abramovich's ownership – and had the Russian got his way, Guardiola would have been on that list long before he took over at City in 2016.

But the Catalan insists it was never going to happen, with the opportunity to work with former Barca colleagues Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain again a major lure at the Etihad.

"I never was a potential option for Chelsea," he said. "I was in Barcelona and then Bayern.

"I decided to go to Munich and came here with Ferran and Txiki. They trust me and I trust them.

"In the first season when it was difficult, I said we needed time and they supported me.

'The players knew who was the manager and who would be the manager. It was stable. That's the best way to do something for a long time, not just a short period."

Guardiola is wary of a backlash from Chelsea after they suffered a record defeat under Abramovich when the sides met on February 10.

"In that moment I was so happy to beat them 6-0, but now in this moment I would prefer not to have beaten them 6-0," admitted Guardiola, who has stressed to his players the danger of a Chelsea side out for revenge.

And City's own 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in December is a reminder of the threat posed by Sarri's team.

"I don't like to play in a short period of time when you've beaten them by so much," he said. "They are incredible professional players, they are proud, they will do extra.

"When we lost there and when we won here, my opinion of Sarri and his teams is always high. When we reviewed the game against us, maybe people don't believe me, but they did incredible things.

"The first goal was a mistake, they were not paying attention. The (third) one (Ross) Barkley made a mistake. The second one, Sergio (Aguero) scores an incredible goal.

In Pictures | Man City vs Chelsea | 10/02/2019

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"When that happens it's tough for the managers and the teams. But they did many, many good things. That was my feeling. I've spoken to my staff and they had the same opinion.

"They played good, but we were so clinical in that game. With our four or five chances, we scored three or four goals."

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