Maurizio Sarri felt Lazio didn’t deserve to head back to Rome empty-handed following their 0-1 defeat to Fiorentina on Monday.Lazio Suffer Defeat in FlorenceThe Biancocelesti had a positive start, but Mattia Zaccagni and Matteo Cancellieri couldn’t translate their early chances into goals. On the other hand, Robin Gosens won his aerial duel with Manuel Lazzari to score the opener in the 28th minute. The visitors tried to respond, but were hardly able to test David De Gea.In his post-match interview with DAZN (via Il Messaggero), Sarri admitted his men committed some mistakes at both ends of the pitch, but argued that the result didn’t reflect their efforts.
We are responsible for conceding the goal and a few counterattacks, but we controlled the game, with possession and some chances, and we didn’t deserve the defeat.
I’m not worried about my future, but about Lazio’s. We’ll see—I don’t know what the plans for the future might be. The season has been devastating, extremely difficult. To prepare for this match we were without ten players, and we were forced to field players who weren’t fully fit. We’ll see what the club has in mind and what I’ll have in mind as a result.
Maurizio Sarri Admits Lazio Are Struggling Inside the BoxThe 67-year-old then held his post-match press conference in Florence, where he highlighted Lazio’s penalty-box struggles as the team’s Achilles Heel, while admitting he doesn’t know how to solve this plaguing issue.
If it were up to me, I’d always want to play at a high level, because it’s difficult to pull a rabbit out of the hat in a single knockout game.
Tonight I didn’t think the team played badly. The goal we conceded was a bit fortunate, and we could have scored early on. Then Fiorentina dropped deep, and we struggled to turn our dominance into clear chances. That’s our one big flaw.
If I had the solution, I’d be at Real Madrid. In the last two matches we faced teams that took the lead and then sat very deep. When that happens, it’s not easy for anyone to score. And if you tell me possession doesn’t matter, I completely disagree. Our problem is the penalty area, not possession.
Player Ratings: Fiorentina 1-0 Lazio – Cancellieri Squanders his ChanceSarri Explained Why Lazio Deserved a PenaltyLazio were controversially denied a penalty-kick when Tijjani Noslin fell to the ground following a challenge from Rolando Mandragora. The VAR summoned Michael Fabbri for an on-field review, but the latter stuck by his original decision, insisting that the contact didn’t warrant a spot-kick.While he didn’t necessarily disagree with the referee’s assessment, Sarri argued that other clubs were awarded softer penalties, so it should have been a spot-kick based on the currently adopted standards.
Referees are each interpreting things their own way. If you ask me, a penalty should something different. But if you ask whether it’s a penalty based on this season’s standards, I’d say yes.
Daniel Maldini’s Physical Problem
Daniel Maldini and Adam Marusic were ruled out of the contest, raising the club’s injury tally to 42 since the start of the season. Sarri revealed that the Atalanta loanee has a chronic issue that has been hampering his career.
I think it’s a combination of many factors that led to a very difficult season. Maldini’s situation is chronic and from time to time he has to stop.
Sarri Gives Priority to LazioWhile recent rumors have linked Sarri with a host of Serie A benches, the manager insists he won’t open talks with any other club before deciding his future with the Lazio management.
I have to listen to the club. If it were up to me, I’d have them spend 700 million in the market. For the future, we’ll hear what the club has in mind, whether there’s a plan.
We’ll evaluate: if they’re happy, we’ll find a solution; if not, we’ll look for a way out. All I can say is that in the coming days I’ll only speak with Lazio.
Sarri Rules Out Fiorentina TenureBefore the contest, Fiorentina sporting director Fabio Paratici heaped praise on Sarri, insisting that the latter wasn’t given enough credit for winning the Scudetto at Juventus in 2020.The manager was pleased with the words of the former Bianconeri official, but he still doesn’t expect himself to coach Fiorentina, despite his solid rapport with the fanbase.The welcome at the Franchi was emotional. In the year I was out, their fans were the closest to me. Maybe because I grew up just behind it, in Piazza Alberti… but I probably won’t ever have the chance to coach Fiorentina.”
Paratici? In recent times relations were more tense (following his Juventus sacking), but I appreciated his words. That Scudetto with Juventus was underrated because people thought it was a given, but as I’ve always said, that was a team at the end of its cycle.