Maurizio Sarri warns he is still not sure if Lazio have put their ups and downs behind them after a third straight Serie A win, while the Coppa Italia derby with Roma ‘means a lot to our people.’
The Biancocelesti have seemingly found their form in the league with three consecutive victories over Empoli, Frosinone and today Udinese.
It took a smart Luca Pellegrini free kick bent around the wall into the far bottom corner and a well-worked move finished off by substitute Matias Vecino to get the points at the Bluenergy Stadium.
“It was a difficult and at times ugly game, on a pitch that was not ideal, against a team that is more physical than we are,” Sarri told DAZN.
“I am happy with the way the lads reacted to negative situations like the equaliser and showed the right spirit, allowing Udinese almost no real opportunities.”
Udinese had been able to draw level when Walace flicked on a Sandi Lovric free kick through a sea of legs to surprise Ivan Provedel.
The coach had been highly critical at the start of the season on the mentality of his players, so he is still eager to keep them on their toes in case of another dip in concentration levels.
“We are still looking for our definitive identity. If we are the team seen in the last month, then that’s very good, but we still need to understand if that is our dimension or not.”
It is certainly a boon for Lazio to deliver these performances and results in the absence of key players like Ciro Immobile and Luis Alberto, as Nicolò Rovella is growing into the role.
“He does better defensively and I did not expect him to recover the ball so often. When it comes to playing out from the back, he has definite margin for improvement. I am pleased with those who came off the bench, we took off Gustav Isaksen with a knock, while Daichi Kamada was booked.”
Lazio are back in action midweek with the massive Coppa Italia quarter-final against their local rivals Roma, so Sarri was asked if there is some good news for fans from the treatment room.
“Immobile and Luis Alberto will have tests tomorrow, at the most they will be back in group training on Tuesday. Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni had knocks today, so we’ll see about them.
“I generally do not like the Coppa Italia format, everyone knows that. We are not even that interested in progressing to the next round, but we are interested in the derby because it means a lot to our people.”
Sarri: "Coppa Italia? Ci interessa solo il derby"#SkySport #SkySerieA #SerieA #UdineseLazio #Sarri https://t.co/ARBdVtjH9R
— skysport (@SkySport) January 7, 2024
” We are not even that interested in progressing to the next round,
Another reason #sarriout