Maurizio Sarri was ‘worried and perplexed’ by Lazio’s 4-0 defeat to Milan and further explained his problem with the ‘anti-sporting’ Coppa Italia format.
The Biancocelesti had kept four consecutive clean sheets in all competition leading into this rout at San Siro, conceding four goals in one game.
They were already 3-0 down by half-time thanks to Rafael Leao on an Alessio Romagnoli defence-splitting pass and an Olivier Giroud brace.
Franck Kessie added a fourth late on when a Daniel Maldini free kick ricocheted into his path to score from eight yards.
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“We were switched off, I hope it was a physical issue and one of fatigue, because if this was mental, that is more worrying,” Sarri told Sport Mediaset.
“We’d been playing fairly consistently of late, but tonight we returned to the usual old defects. In recent months, we had cancelled out those ups and downs, so I expected difficulty tonight, but I expected a different performance.
“We’d seemed to be sharp both physical and mental lately, so this performance leaves me perplexed and I hope it was just a blip so we can get right back on track.”
Even with the recent good showings, Lazio never look like a Sarri team in the mould of his Napoli.
“Every team has its characteristics, you cannot clone players or train them all the same way. Napoli had more quality in its passing, so undoubtedly this Lazio side has different characteristics.
“Having said that, we cannot think that tonight’s performance is what Lazio really are either.”
To make matters worse, Ciro Immobile limped off with a right ankle injury.
“It’s a knock to the top of the foot and the ankle, we’ll see tomorrow.”
Sarri had caused controversy this week when the former Chelsea manager complained the Coppa Italia was an ‘unsporting’ tournament.
“I don’t like the format of the Coppa Italia, but that has nothing to do with this game,” he explained.
“The FA Cup is the most popular cup competition in the world, because every team takes part from the beginning, there is a draw held live on television the moment the previous round has concluded. The first team picked plays at home, the second away, it’s all randomly selected.
“Instead, the Coppa Italia is constructed in a way to steer certain clubs who get better television ratings to be more involved. In my view, that is why it is anti-sporting, I just don’t like the format.”