Maurizio Sarri admits the defeat to Lecce is a wake-up call for Lazio and refuses to use the long World Cup break as an excuse. ‘Clearly we are inferior to the level we thought we were.’
Ciro Immobile had put the Biancocelesti in front at the Stadio Via del Mare with an early goal, but they petered out as the game wore on.
Second half goals from Gabriel Strefezza and Lorenzo Colombo turned it around for a 2-1 Lecce victory.
“It was an incredible game, because we played at a very high level for 30 minutes, creating lots of scoring opportunities and allowing very little to Lecce,” Sarri told Lazio Style Radio and DAZN.
“However, we completely lost our way after the break and it’s too easy to point to the fitness aspect. That is too simple an alibi to hide behind. We just switched off and handed the game to our opponents.
“There is a mentality problem at Lazio and we managed to control it for much of the season, but today it emerged again. If we lose like this to Lecce, then clearly we are inferior to the level we thought we were. It’s not a tactical issue, it’s about working on 25 heads.”
Sarri has made no secret of his disdain for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which forced a complete overhaul of the fixture lists and a break from mid-November to today in Serie A.
“That World Cup was an abomination. I am in favour of Boxing Day fixtures, we should’ve played on December 26, January 1 and January 6.”
There seemed to be some confusion on the touchline too at the Stadio Via del Mare, as Sarri revealed why Sergej Milinkovic-Savic looked so irritated at his substitution.
“It was a misunderstanding, I was trying to replace Toma Basic.”
It´s his mentality