Stefano Pioli criticised Lazio for “resting on our laurels” in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bologna.
The Biancocelesti started their Serie A season with a victory, but it proved to be considerably tougher than expected against the newcomers.
“We wanted to start off on the right foot and were playing at home, so we knew that we could not waste this opportunity,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
Stefano Pioli criticised Lazio for “resting on our laurels” in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bologna.
The Biancocelesti started their Serie A season with a victory, but it proved to be considerably tougher than expected against the newcomers.
“We wanted to start off on the right foot and were playing at home, so we knew that we could not waste this opportunity,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“We played with quality and as a team unit until going 2-0 up, then made the mistake of thinking the game was over. That was an error we cannot make at this level.
“At least we held on during the difficult moments and brought home the result. The second half was more balanced, we had plenty of chances where we could’ve scored more.
“The real problem was towards the end of the first half, when we became too sluggish and rested on our laurels. Serie A is so difficult than you cannot assume a match is killed off.
“We created chances, but then would wander back without the right determination to get more goals. You cannot do that at this level.
“We have talented players and if we can combine that quality with the right attitude, we can do great things again this season.”
Ricardo Kishna made a stunning Serie A debut and the 20-year-old scored the winning goal.
“He has quality, pace and can attack space, but we all have a long way to go. The important thing is that my players are working hard and putting in the effort.”
Lazio play Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League play-off on Wednesday, having won the first leg 1-0.
“Our next game is hugely important, as it’ll tell us which European competition we will take part in. The team is competitive, unfortunately we had a few too many injuries and hope Lucas Biglia doesn’t have anything serious.”
It has been reported Lazio will sign Mario Balotelli from Liverpool if they qualify for the Champions League, but Pioli shrugged off the question.
“The transfer market is too long and it’s not right to play when the window is still open. All I can do is prepare my squad for the next game.”