Lazio Coach Stefano Pioli insists there is no problem between himself and Miroslav Klose, but warns ‘I make the decisions’.
The German striker played just seven minutes in the weekend’s goalless draw at Chievo, and hinted that he may leave should he continue to be left out.
Responding to those, Pioli praised Klose’s professionalism, but cautioned that no-one is guaranteed a place in his team.
Lazio Coach Stefano Pioli insists there is no problem between himself and Miroslav Klose, but warns ‘I make the decisions’.
The German striker played just seven minutes in the weekend’s goalless draw at Chievo, and hinted that he may leave should he continue to be left out.
Responding to those, Pioli praised Klose’s professionalism, but cautioned that no-one is guaranteed a place in his team.
“I was very surprised,” Pioli said of Klose’s words, in a Press conference ahead of Lazio’s Coppa Italia tie with Varese tomorrow.
“Miro has always been an asset to the team, for his attitude, his professionalism, his passion and the way he always makes himself available.
“I’m convinced that he will continue to do so. I know the kind of guy Klose is, and he’ll never be a problem for the team.
“It’s normal that players want to play more, but I’m the Coach and I make the choices.”
The Biancocelesti Coach then turned his attention to the Cup tie, calling on his side to get back to winning after three games without a victory.
“It’s a competition we’re focussed on, we have to give our all and try to win.
“Tomorrow is an important game, we want to get back to winning ways. I don’t think we had the wrong approach on Saturday [in the Chievo game].
“We lacked the final ball we needed to win, but that’s often what makes all the difference.
“We have the quality to overcome this bad spell, when we lost to Genoa and Udinese we were still a work in progress. We now have a solid foundation, we have good players and we have to start well.
“We shouldn’t make the mistake of seeing everything in a negative light. At Empoli we showed the right determination, but against Juventus we gave them too much and weren’t clever enough.
“We have to correct the situation, the team has already shown itself to have character and quality.”