Bacary Sagna has revealed why Arsenal feared playing Chelsea because “in our heads they were bigger than us.”

Sagna, who departed Arsenal for Manchester City in search of more silverware, claimed that the Gunners’ failings when competing against big teams was partly how they dealt with the pressure.

He told the club’s In Lockdown podcast: “I believe we under-evaluated ourselves. Playing for Chelsea image-wise was something different

“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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