Maurizio Sarri believes there’s a difference between Lazio’s poor start to the season: “The match in Lecce was a game of apathy, against Genoa we approached it badly.” The Biancocelesti went behind to a Mateo Retegui opener and despite dominating the second half, the match ended in a frustrating 1-0 loss, their second defeat in a row.
Sarri explained the reasons for the losses in his post-match presser, pointing to the different nature of his teams performances:
“They were two completely different matches. The one in Lecce was a game of apathy, this evening we approached it badly but for repercussions that the previous match had left us. In the end we played a good match, we didn’t give up, we lacked a bit of lucidity, of quality. We never allowed Genoa to counter, in some respects it’s a huge step forward compared to Lecce. Now we have to find the quality of our quality players”.
“I saw a period of mental apathy that culminated in the Lecce match. Mental and physical fatigue, the lads have to give their all to the collective, with the individuals we are not competitive, we are in the group. Today the players were at the service of the team, we need more quality, right now we struggle to beat the man”.
“Guendouzi? He can definitely bring energy to Lazio. When I saw him play in England he was energetic, with great mental and physical energy, a player with characteristics that we don’t have in our midfield now. Big names almost never make an impact in the locker room, let’s see if this guy has this ability to transmit his competitive drive.
“We have to be a team and we have to find more quality than we are expressing at the moment. In the first 15 minutes we gave away 15 balls to the opponents. We must grow in quality and lucidity”.
“When I saw balls flying through the air I put Castellanos in, but if I went back I wouldn’t do it again because we’ve distorted ourselves and we’re not suited to playing with two forwards.
“Contract renewals? You talk to me about things that I shy away from as much as possible. If I were to think about this I would no longer be a coach. Do I thinnk Felipe Anderson is upset? No, it may just be a physical aspect that he’s not yet at the top of his game and that leads to a small decline in his technical qualities”.
“In these two games we have done badly, no one is looking for alibis.
“We got Pellegrini who was out of the squad at Juventus, Rovella who came from an injury and only did three training sessions, Kamada played his last game in May. Sepe was out of the squad, Isaksen had arrived in good condition then the heat boiled him down completely. There are objective conditions. As far as tactics are concerned, as a team organiser I am one of the strongest in Italy….. These are my characteristics, right now I’m like a defender playing as a centre forward, I’m struggling. We have taken boys from other leagues, from other continents. The problem becomes language, nutrition, the answers are very individual’.
“We must start again with less negativity. The steps forward are there but if we get caught up in negative talk we are dead, we have to isolate ourselves and evaluate where we can improve and where we are going wrong. Penalty? On Immobile I didn’t see it well, the one on Zaccagni even from the images it looked like a penalty to me. The absurdity is that they didn’t even call it for review”.
“At the moment there isn’t much competition, I hope it will pick up. Ready starters? Those who have the balls accept to get involved, those who want to wash their shirts at home don’t have the balls”.
“Kamada? He has very important dribbling qualities, time to fit in, but he can’t be assessed now. Kamada has only eleven days of training, it’s pretentious to evaluate him. I’m waiting for him with curiosity because I think he’s a very good player.”
