Maurizio Sarri prepares to face Atalanta with a Pep Guardiola quote, but again enters a collision course with his club after reiterating a Champions League place is ‘not a credible objective’ for Lazio.
It kicks off on Saturday at 19.45 GMT at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
“I expect a tough game, the team is aware of how important this is and we need to shake off those moments where we step out of the match. Those are diminishing, but are still costing us points,” said the coach in his press conference.
The Aquile have dropped 17 points from leading situations this season, including back-to-back 1-1 draws in which they had scored first, which prevented them leapfrogging Roma into third place.
“This is a team whose evolution satisfies, there is a completely different professionalism and approach compared to last season, but it is also frustrating because we never get that final step up in quality. We must try to do that from tomorrow, because as Guardiola said, playing Atalanta is like going to the dentist.
“I have spoken to the team over and over again about coming out strong for the second half, but now I worry it might start to become counter-productive. Maybe I’ll introduce a half-time break in training and see how they come out of it!”
Yet Lazio beat La Dea 2-0 in Bergamo earlier this season in probably their best performance under Sarri.
“That was probably an off day for Atalanta, while we played very well, so we must expect them to be super tomorrow. Atalanta are a side who if they are physically fit, then are extraordinary, but become average if that’s not the case.”
When it comes to pursuing a Champions League spot, Sarri has been vocally adamant that it would be a ‘dream’ rather than an objective, which is not the approach taken by President Claudio Lotito or director Igli Tare.
“Objectives have to be credible. Lazio are not in the top four of Serie A when it comes to wages or revenue. We therefore do not feel any responsibility to get a Champions League place. Dreams are not the same as objectives, so the team is hungry and wants to prove itself, but an objective is very different.
“Atalanta qualified for the Champions League for three years running and brought in over €100m more in revenue than usual, this is what allowed them to buy players for €25m.”
Sarri analysed the issues Lazio have with scoring goals this season, even without the issue of Ciro Immobile’s repeat injuries.
“Our problem is that considering the way we play, we don’t get many shots away. We tend to shoot only when we’ve got a very good opportunity, we don’t have shots from 25-30 metres out, and it’s not always easy to frequently pass our way into the box.”
Luis Alberto gave an interview in which he complained that Sarri uses too many video lectures in training, but the response was surprising.
“Luis Alberto is pulling your leg, he enjoys going counter-intuitively. Half of the video lectures we have are on request of the players.”