{"id":300733,"date":"2023-11-28T01:24:33","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T01:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=300733"},"modified":"2023-11-28T01:24:33","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T01:24:33","slug":"even-head-coach-maurizio-sarri-is-at-a-loss-to-explain-lazio-woes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/even-head-coach-maurizio-sarri-is-at-a-loss-to-explain-lazio-woes\/","title":{"rendered":"Even\u00a0head coach Maurizio Sarri is at a loss to explain Lazio woes"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Even Maurizio Sarri is at a loss to explain Lazio woes&#8230; as head coach stumped by form with his job on line ahead of Celtic clash<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Maurizio Sarri facing the sack after worst start to league campaign for a decade<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Lazio slumped to a 2-1 defeat at bottom-of-the-table Salernitana on Saturday\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Big Ange on connecting with his players and why he doesn&#8217;t do small talk &#8211; It&#8217;s All Kicking Off hosts Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman spoke exclusively to Spurs boss<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>\u2018If I was sure this was my fault, I would leave.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Maurizio Sarri\u2019s comments might not tell the whole story about the sorry state Lazio are in ahead of Celtic\u2019s visit, but they do sketch a strong outline.<\/p>\n<p>Two-and-a-half years into his Roman reign, the former Chelsea manager is facing more outspoken critics than ever before after one of his worst results yet.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday\u2019s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Salernitana was as bad as it gets in Serie A right now. Before kick-off, Pippo Inzaghi\u2019s side hadn\u2019t won a league game all season and propped up the table.<\/p>\n<p>But the result also underlined issues that have plagued Lazio throughout 2023\/24: a tendency to flop against lower-table sides, a misfiring attack and an over- reliance on a handful of players.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/28\/00\/78302377-0-image-a-46_1701131208719.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The performance of a lot of players isn\u2019t at the level of last season,\u2019 Sarri said. \u2018Maybe that is my fault, but we must all accept responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018If I was the Lazio owner, I would be tough. I\u2019m not a fan of going into a ritiro [a punitive training camp] but I would do something to break this inertia. The team has lost character and initiative; something isn\u2019t working.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s true that the high bar set last season has made this year\u2019s stuttering start a bitter pill to swallow. Lazio have gone from a second-place finish, their highest since winning the Scudetto in 1999\/2000, to the bottom half of the table. Of their six league defeats, four came against teams they were expected to beat with little fuss: Lecce, Genoa, Bologna and Salernitana.<\/p>\n<p>Now, after 13 matches, Lazio are 10 points worse off than they were at this point last term and are off to their most miserable start to a league campaign for a decade.<\/p>\n<p>No wonder club president Claudio Lotito is leaving not-so-subtle messages in the media.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We need to see a turnaround straight away, or heads will roll very soon,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>The startling drop in performance levels hasn\u2019t just left fans perplexed, though. Sarri, one of Italy\u2019s most tactically astute coaches, is also baffled.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I don\u2019t understand what is different about me compared to last year. If anything, I\u2019m pushing them even more,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018If, over the next few days, I decide that it\u2019s my fault, I\u2019ll be the first to take the decision to leave by speaking with the president.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/28\/00\/78302405-0-image-a-47_1701131285260.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Misfiring Lazio have endured\u00a0their most miserable start to a league campaign for a decade<\/p>\n<p>The chief issue plaguing Lazio is a chronic lack of goals. Although the attacking trident that fired them to second last season remains the same \u2014 Ciro Immobile, Felipe Anderson and Mattia Zaccagni \u2014 the loss of midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Al Hilal over the summer has been sorely felt. Lazio have struggled to create in the absence of the influential Serbian, a former Serie A midfielder of the year, with Luis Alberto now shouldering the burden of creative responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday\u2019s trip to Salerno was the first time this season that Lazio were without Alberto, through suspension, and they collapsed to their worst result yet while failing to test the joint-worst defence in the division.<\/p>\n<p>In their last six games, Lazio have scored four goals but only one has been from open play \u2014 Immobile\u2019s winner against Feyenoord in the last Champions League round. Last season\u2019s success was built on a solid defence that kept a club record 22 clean sheets and a ruthless attack that regularly outperformed xG.<\/p>\n<p>Sarri managed to rediscover some of that defensive steel before the international break, conceding once in four games, but an injury to key defender Alessio Romagnoli left them looking disorganised in Salerno with a rarely-tested pairing of Patric and Mario Gila \u2014 who are now expected to start against Celtic too.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the crumbling foundations, Lazio have regularly proven themselves dangerous on big occasions.<\/p>\n<p>Last season, they beat all their fellow \u2018big seven\u2019 clubs in Serie A, while, this year, they have beaten Napoli and Atalanta and claimed back-to-back European wins over Celtic and Feyenoord.<\/p>\n<p>There has been a pattern of Lazio producing in big matches, and few are bigger than Tuesday, with a reaction badly needed and a European campaign in the balance.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Lazio need to ask themselves some questions,\u2019 former Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo told DAZN. \u2018The match against Celtic is so important.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018In the league, they are starting to distance themselves from the pack, and we aren\u2019t seeing the same levels as last year.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/28\/00\/78302429-0-image-a-48_1701131327721.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Lazio will be without Alessio Romagnoli, Nicolo Casale and Zaccagni against Celtic<\/p>\n<p>Midfielder Danilo Cataldi spoke after the Salernitana defeat about how Lazio \u2018need to change course or else our objectives will be unreachable\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Despite storm clouds gathering over the Stadio Olimpico, a win on Tuesday would put Lazio into the Champions League last 16 with a game to spare if it\u2019s combined with an Atletico Madrid victory over Feyenoord.<\/p>\n<p>That would be quite some achievement for a side competing in Europe\u2019s top-tier competition for only the second time in 15 years, and would buy Sarri some time as he tries to work out how to get this team ticking in Serie A.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I hope it\u2019s a different story in the Champions League because the mentality of the team in the league worries me,\u2019 Sarri said.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Sometimes they can perform miracles in the Champions League. We will see if we go out on the pitch against Celtic with a different mindset.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>They well might, although they will also go out without three key players: Romagnoli, injured centre-back Nicolo Casale and winger Zaccagni, who picked up an injury in Salerno.<\/p>\n<p>Pedro is likely to take a place up front instead, an unwelcome sight for Celtic fans after his last-gasp heroics at Parkhead in October. Crucially, Alberto will be back in midfield.<\/p>\n<p>Sarri is right about Lazio\u2019s different mentality in this competition. The distracted complacency that has plagued them in Serie A has not been on show in the midweek games.<\/p>\n<p>That stands in stark contrast to previous seasons, where it has often been the other way around, Lazio performing better at the weekend and flopping regularly in the Europa League.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/28\/00\/78302345-0-image-a-45_1701131156554.jpg\" height=\"424\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Lazio slumped to a 2-1 defeat at bottom-of-the-table Salernitana in Serie A on\u00a0Saturday<\/p>\n<p>This year, however, apart from being outplayed by Feyenoord in Rotterdam, Lazio have been experts at finding a way on the continent. In the unforgettable opener against Atletico, goalkeeper Ivan Provedel equalised with the last kick of the game.<\/p>\n<p>In Glasgow, Lazio fought back to win. And last time out, at home to Feyenoord, they looked more like the side of last season than ever, Immobile superbly taking his chance when it came before the side defended admirably to hold onto a nervy win.<\/p>\n<p>A raucous atmosphere is to be expected, with Lazio\u2019s Black Friday ticket sale going down a storm with fans who have spent much of the season complaining about higher ticket prices.<\/p>\n<p>The mood may be sour and the goals may have dried up, but there is still a hope and a belief that the Champions League can be the saving grace in a season that has otherwise produced few moments to savour so far.<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12798055\/Even-Maurizio-Sarri-loss-explain-Lazio-woes-head-coach-stumped-form-job-line-ahead-Celtic-clash.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even Maurizio Sarri is at a loss to explain Lazio woes&#8230; as head coach stumped by form with his job <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300732,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Even\u00a0head coach Maurizio Sarri is at a loss to explain Lazio woes - Sportstons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/even-head-coach-maurizio-sarri-is-at-a-loss-to-explain-lazio-woes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Even\u00a0head coach Maurizio Sarri is at a loss to explain Lazio woes - Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Even Maurizio Sarri is at a loss to explain Lazio woes&#8230; 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