Maurizio Sarri notes Lazio finally won a game without Ciro Immobile, but Felipe Anderson is ‘so delicate’ psychologically and he wants a stronger response from his team.
The Biancocelesti took a while to truly break Genoa down, but eventually won 3-1 with Pedro, Francesco Acerbi’s header on a corner and Mattia Zaccagni.
Serie A | Lazio 3-1 Genoa: Aquile eventually break Grifone down
“We played well today, dominating from start to finish and allowing nothing at the back, so we really should’ve kept a clean sheet,” Sarri told DAZN, furious at the Filippo Melegoni late strike.
“After a very long time, Lazio won even without Immobile in the squad. All the strikers did well, including Felipe Anderson in a role that was new to him.”
In his post-match comments, Acerbi said it was fortunate people didn’t see what went on in the Lazio locker room. Are they particularly irritable or tense?
“If anything, they seem too calm to me,” shrugged Sarri. “We end games having completely depleted the batteries mentally. We go from an average of two points per game to 0.6 points per game when playing after a Europa League midweek fixture. I understand physical fatigue, but not psychological.”
When it comes to inconsistency, nobody fits the bill better than Felipe Anderson, an issue he has struggled with throughout his career.
“When Felipe has the switch in the on position, he can play anywhere, the problem is limiting the periods when it’s off,” explained Sarri.
“This lad had several seasons with these blackout moments, he is so sensitive that it’s even difficult to intervene as a coach. We are talking about a player with extraordinary potential, but he’s so delicate.”
Felipe Anderson has always been a sunshine player. Spent half his first spell at Lazio on the bench, then had the best spell of his career at West Ham, then fell off a cliff again.
Sarri is very honest about him. But it’s a problem with many modern players – they’re not mentally tough enough. Probably because they were millionaires in their early 20s and didn’t have to earn it the hard way.