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David Luiz insists that Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has the full support of his players, despite the Italian's harsh words after his team lost 2-0 to Arsenal.

The Blues' place in the top four is looking increasingly precarious after they slipped to a fourth defeat of the season on Saturday, and Sarri claimed that his players are 'extremely difficult to motivate' in an astonishing post-match tirade.

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Some pundits have suggested that Sarri is taking a risk by condemning his players publicly, while others are starting to question his tactical acumen. However, Luiz leapt to his manager's defence on both counts, claiming that Sarri was right to be angry.

"He was not happy, but nobody was happy, so it was normal," said the Brazilian, quoted by FourFourTwo. "It is our style, it is our philosophy, I think if you asked at the beginning of the season can Chelsea keep the ball you would have said no.

"And now we are able to do that, like the best teams in the world. This is our philosophy, I believe in it, I trust in it, so I just know we have to improve, like every team in the world.

"What Sarri has done until now is unbelievable, amazing, because normally a team to understand this philosophy needs one or two years, like Man City and Liverpool, who are playing very well with the ball now.

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"What he has done has been amazing, so we have to try to improve the details now. I don't think so [that players are turning], everybody is trusting his job and everybody is with him."

Chelsea must improve significantly when they face Tottenham on Thursday in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, trailing 1-0 from the first meeting.