Bacary Sagna on Arsenal's inferiority complex when facing Chelsea: 'We under-evaluated ourselves'
Former defender Bacary Sagna has opened up on Arsenal's struggles when facing Chelsea, admitting their London rivals gained a psychological advantage by talking up the club's reputation.
Chelsea enjoyed a period of dominance over Arsenal between 2008 and 2014, losing just four of the 16 meetings between the two capital sides.
The Blues also won the Premier League and Champions League during that period, while Arsenal were involved in a battle to finish in the top four.
In Sagna's final season with the Gunners, the Blues won 6-0 at Stamford Bridge in what was Arsene Wenger's 1,000th game in charge - their biggest-ever victory over the north London outfit.
Sagna, who eventually joined Manchester City in 2014 before finishing his career with spells at Benevento and the Montreal Impact, has now revealed how his team-mates lacked the belief that they could beat Chelsea.
"I believe we under-evaluated ourselves. Playing for Chelsea image-wise was something different," Sagna added.
"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.
"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."
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