Maurizio Sarri questioned why Chelsea were being so heavily criticised, comparing their season favourably to that of rivals Arsenal.
A 3-0 victory over Malmo on Thursday saw Sarri's side move into the Europa League last 16 thanks to a 5-1 aggregate win.
But the Italian is still under enormous pressure ahead of Chelsea's meeting with Manchester City in the EFL Cup final on Sunday.
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Sarri said it was unusual his side were getting so much criticism compared to Arsenal, who have the same number of points in the Premier League and also reached the last 16 in the Europa League.