Lazio centre-back Francesco Acerbi slammed the heavy fixture list but believes the Aquile are close to becoming the team Maurizio Sarri wants. ‘We are making some very good steps’.
The veteran defender, capped 22 times by Italy, revealed he is doing physically well, but pointed at a heavy fixture list ahead of the important game against Lokomotiv Moscow.
“I’m quite well. I try to always keep myself as good as possible in terms of physical and mental fitness,” Acerbi said at a press conference.
Sarri: ‘Immobile is doing better, Europe like this is a problem’
“There are also moments when you are in decline, but you always try to be on the right track to recover as soon as possible.
“They made a statistic, there is an average of 75 games a year, 50 games are played every three days. Some want to reduce the teams in Serie A, they try to do something for the good of all.
“We are trying to do something, there are many games.”
The 33-year-old went on to praise the team and believes they are working well with Sarri at the helm.
The former Napoli and Juventus coach replaced Simone Inzaghi over the summer and Lazio are currently sixth in Serie A with 21 points from 13 games, 11 behind leaders Napoli and Milan.
“From how we started, we are making some very good steps forward compared to the Lazio that the coach wants,” Acerbi added.
“Some things are fine, others need to be tested, especially the details, because they make the difference.
“Sometimes we have to be a little more disciplined on the pitch. We are giving everything, but perhaps it’s still not enough.
“On some things, we are a bit inattentive during the match and against strong teams, this penalises us. We have to be very careful throughout the games.”
In the Europa League, however, the Biancocelesti have only picked up five points from the first four matches in Group E.
The group is completely open ahead of the trip to Russia and Lazio still have all to play for to reach the next phase of the competition.
“It’s a difficult group. Marseille, Galatasaray and Lokomotiv are difficult games,” Acerbi continued. “Then you go to Russia and there’s the journey too.
“They are all complicated. It’s normal for us to have a match in which we will have to be careful. They have changed coach and play at home.
“All games in Europe are difficult. We must be organised and play our game.”
We use this fixture list as an alibi to often! Acerbi you haven’t ever looked as shaky as you do this season! You are 33 tho I guess…. We are making progress and I believe next season of Sarri is backed in the market we will be a threat for the top four…. This year we will be 6th or 7th! Don’t like playing Thursday?? Then finish top four pretty simple
The problem is not the fixture list, it is the narrow quality in the squad.
There are 5 defenders, 4 midfielders, 2 wingers and 1 striker, who can start, and then Strakosha, Reina, Patric, Radu, Leiva and Zaccagni, who currently are at a back-up level, while Moro and Romero are not good enough to start, even as reserves.
There is a need for at least these players at a minimum of rotation level: a striker, a winger, a midfielder, a left back…
And like we just need a new starting keeper. If Strakosha is not clearly better than Reina, then he is also not good enough to start yet.
Please get me Arrizabalaga (for Adamonis) and Loftus-Cheek (for Akpro) on loan from Chelsea with options (which might not be affordable, but still). Orsolini from Bologna (Escalante out), Botheim from Bodø (Muriqi out) and put Kamenovic (u21 – yes, this is not a good solution, but it is the available one) into the squad.
Then I would also not mind some Laziale in the squad (though there probably is not time to also do these additional deals, as January is a short month), which I think will fit well in Sarris system, as Lazios youth teams played somewhat his style of 4-3-3 in the past. So Murgia and Tuia (which do not require registration, as there is only Strakosha and Cataldi “trained in Lazio” right now), who are currently not even playing for their Serie B teams.
And then Vicari and Bonifazi would also be nice if possible for Vavro and Patric, as they should have cares about the club, even if they did not grow up in the Lazio youth system.
There are definitely some options for swaps with SPAL and Bologna if they are interested in Adamonis, Patric, Vavro, Falbo, Escalante, Akpro, Muriqi…
But as Sarri said he wanted a left back and a striker, then I expect that to be Kamenovic and Botheim, based on how Lotaretito work…