Sarri: ‘Roma can afford a friendly, Lazio played a war’

Maurizio Sarri was proud of his Lazio squad after their Champions League win over Feyenoord and shared his frustrations regarding the upcoming Derby della Capitale.

The Biancocelesti held on to secure a tense 1-0 win over the Eredivisie outfit in their European meeting on Tuesday evening, a vital result as they fight for a spot in the knockout stages of the competition.

Lazio, who are still recovering from their slow start to the season, are now gearing up for one of the most important games of their year – the Derby della Capitale against Roma, a team who’ve also shown some issues this term.

Speaking in a press conference via TMW, Sarri first reacted to Lazio’s win over Feyenoord.

“We found a team that has considerable quality in dribbling, we decided not to go for them too high. We deliberately left a bit of space for dribbling, but it’s a game in which when we had to suffer, and we did it together. A match that keeps us in the fight for qualification.”

He weighed in on the performances of his players.

“Lazzari played a good game, I think it’s a period in which he’s doing well from a physical and mental point of view, when he’s clear like this he can make a good contribution in the defensive phase.

“Kamada from a technical point of view is cleaner and more linear than Guendouzi, but Guendou has this energy and vitality that gave us a good hand in the second half.

“Patric if he was 1.90 metres tall would be a player for any club, a technical player, fast, he is a much more mature guy than when I arrived, with much more certainty and security. A central defender with these feet has a lot of stuff.”

The Lazio coach shared his happiness with the victory and spoke about club captain Ciro Immobile.

“I’m happy with the result and that we’re playing in the most difficult fixture, we are in it, seven points in four games and we will fight until the last day, it’s a source of satisfaction.

“This is a turning point that could have tipped us over. Ciro is sticking to a schedule that included a break in Bologna, a longer one today.

“It seems to me that apart from the goal he is growing, I saw him loose in his movements, he will have to grow, I’m happy for the 200 goals and I hope he goes for 300.”

Sarri discussed the recent criticisms levied against himself and Lazio.

“If I went along with what journalists and fans were saying, I was always in the fifth tier, I always went ahead with my ideas. If you look at last year’s schedule and this year’s, the difference is palpable.

“We’re struggling for the first two games otherwise we would be in the running in the Champions League and the title. It’s our responsibility, we are playing games against teams that are not easy to beat for us or for anyone.

“In the quality of play I see no difference. If you tell me in Bologna that we were shoddy in the last few metres I’d give you reason, this is not a ground but a rough sea.”

He looked ahead to the coming Derby della Capitale.

“Roma can afford a friendly on Thursday and we played a war tonight, there is a fundamental difference.

“If you tell me if it’s intelligent to put the derby in the week in which we play in Europe I’ll tell you I don’t think it’s the height of intelligence on the part of the league, it seems to me that it’s people from outside football who don’t realise what the derby is, it could have been done differently.

“They have a position in the group that they can afford to keep the team out.”

Finally, Sarri spoke about Lazio’s spirit of sacrifice against Feyenoord.

“The spirit of sacrifice was at a high level, I liked that the bench and the game from a mental point of view, there was participation from everyone.

“This team is too often criticised for attitude, but sometimes it’s the characteristics of players that can give you the impression that they are not warriors because they have other characteristics, but these guys train with a dedication that I’ve rarely seen in the 30 years I’ve been coaching.”