Maurizio Sarri wants his Lazio to maintain focus after their win over league leaders Napoli, believing AZ Alkmaar pose a number of dangers to the Biancocelesti.
The Roman club became just the second team in Serie A this season to find victory against the Partenopei, thanks to Matias Vecino’s wonderful strike in the second half.
The result puts Lazio in a strong position in the race for a top four finish, making the first leg of the Europa Conference League Round of 16 a somewhat unwanted commitment for Sarri and his squad.
Speaking in a press conference, Sarri was first asked if Lazio’s win over Napoli gives his team extra belief and motivation.
“The victory in Naples is dangerous for us. After the 4-0 win against Milan, we went into a motivational slump and didn’t win for four games. Let’s see if we can handle this result differently.
“The defensive contribution of the whole team is superior to before, the growth is of the whole team not of individual defenders.”
He provided an update on talismanic striker Ciro Immobile, who has been sidelined with a muscle issue.
“I don’t know much, I spoke to the doctor on the phone. There’s a muscle problem, it’s not serious, afterwards we’ll talk about the recovery time.
“Since last year, when he hurt his ankle, he’s never been well. Even on Friday he played with painkillers for the ankle problem, which I think is causing him discomfort.”
He didn’t agree with Jose Mourinho’s assessment that the Conference League was of a higher level this year.
“It’s his personal opinion which I respect but I don’t share.”
Sarri gave his thoughts on the opponents AZ Alkmaar.
“They are playing a very high-level league. If you draw Ajax, you think they are a worthy opponent, while AZ you think not and you tend to underestimate them, but they are only one point behind in the league.
“They have quality points from a technical point of view, tomorrow there will be mental but also technical problems.”
The Italian coach commented on the team’s reliance on Felipe Anderson.
“Right now, he can’t be tired, we have no other options.”
Sarri was asked about the stop to Jose Mourinho’s two-game ban and if he was frustrated after having a similar situation last season.
“In that episode, there were two different reports between the referee and the federal prosecutor’s office that were two metres apart. So, one of the two reports was untrue.
“Mourinho? The ban was put on hold because of his career.”
He also spoke about the condition of defender Nicolo Casale.
“He has had medical tests, it seems they are negative. He has a big bruise on his kneecap, but the knee is solid and today from training it will be clear if he can play or not.”
He touched on any rotations he could make against AZ.
“Tomorrow will be the 15th game in 61 days. We knew the World Cup would be a tragedy. Let’s see how many will be able to play tomorrow.
“Schedules can blow up in your face with suspensions and injuries. The difference with the Netherlands is not so much, I think they are equivalent to ours.”
Finally, Sarri gave his thoughts on Dutch football as a whole.
“They have teams with good technique, good wingers. The only thing I don’t like about Dutch football is the Feyenoord fans.”