Maurizio Sarri warns he will ‘demand an explanation’ from his Lazio players after their 5-1 defeat to Midtjylland. ‘I need to work out if it’s me who has to take a step back.’
They had started the campaign so well, dominating Feyenoord and leading 4-0 until the eventual 4-2 final result, so hopes were high going into Denmark.
Instead, they were torn to shreds and lost 5-1 to Midtjylland, leaving the group completely balanced.
It is hardly the first time, as last season they had suffered several heavy defeats with similar blackouts.
“Unfortunately, at times Lazio do not turn up at all and it is even worse in Europe, because we had been making progress on that,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.
“We had no humility at all. We thought that we’d fixed this problem, but with this mentality, you’ll get nothing out of your legs.”
Sarri did not say anything to the squad in the locker room, preferring to take some time to process what happened first.
“It is my responsibility, I will deal with the players. I will demand an explanation from them, because I saw this immense arrogance and presumption. We were all standing still and with a low tempo, as if we were 4-0 up and cruising.”
Sarri was even harsher afterwards in his press conference, raising doubts over his future at the Stadio Olimpico.
“These sudden emotional collapses are similar to last year. It’s difficult to understand the motivation. I need to work out, if it’s me who has to take a step back, or a player who needs to leave.”
These moments of collapse are quite frequent in the eL and Conference. By all Serie A teams. Perhaps it is arrogance. But they have nothing to be arrogant about.