Maurizio Sarri must have been familiar with the pressure of the job he was taking on when he joined Chelsea last summer.

It should come as no great surprise that the Italian - who despite not tasting defeat in a competitive match until late-November - finds himself in an ominous situation.

Sarri has already suffered six Premier League losses since taking over at Stamford Bridge, including four since the turn of the year.

While poor results alone are damaging enough to his job security, it’s the humiliating nature of certain outings that are particularly concerning to Roman Abramovich and Chelsea fans alike.

Those heavy thrashings at the hands of Bournemouth and Manchester City won’t soon be forgotten - not unless Sarri can sure up the Blues’ prospects of a top-four finish within the 12 remaining fixtures.

Even with the Carabao Cup final against Pep Guardiola’s men looming this Sunday, some are led to believe the 60-year-old is one defeat away from facing the axe.

Sarri, though, has a very different outlook.

“I am not interested, to be honest. I have to think of my work as a big picture issue, otherwise I’d do my work badly. So I continue along my path and nothing has changed, as far as I am concerned,” he told Sky Sport Italia, per Football Italia.

The former Napoli boss also raised the contrasting assessments of himself and Unai Emery this season, despite even goal difference being unable to separate their respective clubs on the league table.

“I keep hearing people praise Arsenal’s season, but they are not in the Cup final, they [level with us in the Premier League] and reached the last 16 of the Europa League just like us.

“I don’t understand why people act as if our season is so negative and Arsenal’s is impressive.

“It’s true there have been many peaks and troughs, including some very deep troughs, but considering it’s my first season in a new league and environment, I think that’s acceptable. I did take over a team that finished fifth with 70 points.”

Patience has never been a trait associated with Chelsea during the Abramovich era, which has perhaps contributed to reports of Sarri devising a contingency plan.

But when asked about claims in Italian media that he was recently in contact with Roma director Franco Baldini, Sarri didn’t mince his words.

“The rumours are about dinner with Baldini, but last I heard he was in South Africa, so as I’m not going to South Africa for dinner, it’s safe to call that a load of rubbish.”