Simone Inzaghi said Lazio are “not a fluke” after being the only Europa League side with a 100 per cent record and sitting joint third in Serie A.
The Biancocelesti are the only side in the Europa League with a perfect record after four games and have already secured their group winner status with two matches to spare after beating Nice 1-0 in stoppages.
Simone Inzaghi said Lazio are “not a fluke” after being the only Europa League side with a 100 per cent record and sitting joint third in Serie A.
The Biancocelesti are the only side in the Europa League with a perfect record after four games and have already secured their group winner status with two matches to spare after beating Nice 1-0 in stoppages.
“It was not to be taken for granted, as Nice are a well-constructed squad with strong physical elements. The credit goes to the lads, they’ve won the group with two games to go,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“I would not underestimate Nice, as they impressed me tonight. They are a physical side with strong forwards like Alassane Plea and Pierre Lees-Melou, as well as Mario Balotelli and Wesley Sneijder, plus their full-backs are exciting.
“We made some mistakes and could’ve done better on occasion. Luis Alberto can also play in midfield, he did that as a substitute in Nice, and he can comfortably do both phases. When playing further forward, he doesn’t need to cover the defensive duties as much.
“We are a staff of nine people who help me so much to study the teams, which is tricky when there are so many games in quick succession. We expected Nice to play 4-4-2 in the first leg and they changed to 3-5-2, they changed again here and we made adjustments once we got wind of their formation.”
Lazio achieved the victory thanks to a deflected Marco Parolo header in stoppages, but did it without injured hitman Ciro Immobile.
“Immobile had a slight problem on Sunday, but he finished the game and would’ve been in the squad today had it been a decisive match. He’s had a few days of training and treatment, so will lead our attack this weekend.”
Inzaghi was asked if Lazio could genuinely target triumph in the Europa League or even Serie A this season if they added a couple of signings in January.
“There are two months to go before January, we’ll see the condition of the players. Naturally, we must compliment these players for three exceptional months that have gone beyond even the rosiest of expectations, but we did that because the lads have been working so hard since July 4.
“With the Europa League, I rotate the squad more and keep everyone involved. It’s only right that we enjoy this moment, as we’re the only side to have won all four Europa League matches and we earned every point.
“I think the best squad in Italy is Juventus, so if you beat them twice in a few weeks, then that’s not a coincidence. We fought it out with Napoli, I heard Maurizio Sarri say yesterday that losing Faouzi Ghoulam caused him a lot of problems. Against Napoli we lost Stefan de Vrij, Bastos and Dusan Basta to injury.
“The lads have shown me that with hard work and consistency, we can fight it out with anyone. We’ve been near the top of the table for a couple of years now, so we’re not a fluke.”