Lazio-Atletico Madrid: Sarri’s Pre-Match Press Conference and Team Objectives

16:15

The press conferences end

The press conferences in Formello end. The team goes onto the pitch for finishing training. The Champions League match with the former Simeone is not long away.

16:10

The analysis of the squad and the joke about the renewal

“This is the most complete squad in the 8 years I’ve been here. Other years we’ve done well, but we were missing a little more. The important thing is to keep working, then if you win a match or two later everything changes. Even the way you approach the match after and we can continue well. Am I the leader after Milinkovic’s farewell? I don’t feel like it, the leader is Ciro, he is the captain, the one who has done more than anyone in Lazio. I try to help and do the maximum. It’s my way of seeing football, when I speak it’s to do something. Renewal? I’m leaving in December (laughs, ed.). Let’s be calm, first I would like to end up in my country for a year, but it all depends on how I feel physically.”

16:06

Luis and the controversies with the referees

“We said that we don’t talk about Juve anymore, let’s forget about it. Kamada, Guendouzi and Matteo are fantastic players. Matteo played at Arsenal and Marseille, this already says it all. He’s a serious boy. I like Daichi a lot, everyone will find space They will certainly do very well throughout the season. Still? The attacker’s life is like this, when he scores goals he is a phenomenon, otherwise he is poor. He is calm, when he scores 2 goals everyone will be silent. The national team? I don’t think about it, for For me, staying in my country is important, I’m available, but I don’t think about it because it takes away energy. The coach will take care of the list. It’s clear that he doesn’t like me, there are many strong ones in the national team. There are 10-12 of them in my role. I have to do well here first.”

16:04

Luis Alberto and the emotion of the Champions League

“I’ve always said it. If I’m well I want to finish my career at Cadiz. To play in the Champions League the motivation comes by itself, otherwise you don’t like football. It will be even nicer to play in a full stadium, when we did it ( due to the pandemic, ed.) it was a bit strange to play without fans. It’s their football. We need more malice in the two areas, defend everyone better, we can’t concede certain goals. Against Juve not even a fourth-fifth category team can concede certain goals. It’s lacking a bit of personality. For the rest we are playing well, being stronger in the two areas.”

16:02

Luis Alberto speaks before Lazio-Atletico Madrid

The press conference also begins Luis Alberto, who faced Atletico 7 years ago in La Liga: “I think we lost 3-1 last time… Simeone’s team is difficult, they have shown it in recent years. He is an emblem, a legend for the club. Tomorrow will be a very difficult match, it takes malice and personality. Since January last year he has been playing with more possession, a football with more confidence. He showed by winning 7-0 that he attacks a lot and they have international level players who can change the game at any moment.”

15:58

Lazio’s objectives for Sarri

“We set goals game after game. We want to get the result without doing calculations. I know Atletico, just a little about Feyenoord and Celtic. Let’s think about this match and get the most out of it. Champions League matches are always difficult with teams of both physical and technical quality. Perhaps the gap between the 7-8 teams and the others has increased, but even before it was difficult.”

15:56

Sarri and the controversy after Juve

“In Turin the club asked us not to comment and we stick to this. The Champions League is another story, the level is very high. An honor and a pleasure to be in it as well as fighting for every single ball. When you play every 70 hours from a physical point of view you don’t understand much. From a mental point of view there is no time and it wouldn’t even be right to still think about Juve. Let’s fix the mistakes and think about Atletico Madrid. Guendouzi directing? Impossible, he doesn’t have the characteristics of a low top. The reaction? The boys have been fighting for two years for this match, that’s all we need. Just think of the sacrifices made.”

15:53

The team approach

“Our approach wrong? Too much to say is wrong. The difficult phase against Juve lasted 12 minutes. Aggression and competitive fury were missing. However, the team was tidy, we need 10 nastiness instead of 5. The approach to the second half was also a problem last year. There is no logical explanation when talking about 30 heads… It’s difficult to understand why, they train in the right way. We are talking about it to try to resolve it.”

15:50

Sarri on Ciro Immobile’s moment

“Immobile has the destiny of the great bomber jackets. Player you can’t do without and when he doesn’t score he gets criticized. It happens to all players who score 30 goals. The team doesn’t play in depth and this costs us something, he needs to be helped more and he needs to come forward more. Kamada and Guendouzi together? During the season yes. When Luis Alberto struggles… We are more strategic than tactical, we want to go with a philosophy, not a change for a single match. Let’s make our things work as best as possible.”

15:45

The Champions League match and the turning point

“We have to go game after game. The calendar offers us this, we have problems to solve. And also the awareness that we have made some progress. Now we need to take a decisive step forward. With strong teams there are risks, it’s clear. Our team also remained short in the last two games. The approach was less decisive than our opponents, but then we didn’t get upset by giving our opponents restarts. In recent matches I’m sorry that we conceded goals in easy and avoidable situations. And then the 54 balls in the area without a goal: they make me sad, they make me think that there is room for improvement. Best time to face Atletico? I don’t know, I’m just thinking about getting a result against them. Our results are not positive, so it could be a bad time. We don’t think about it, there is an opportunity to play against the strongest team in the group.”

15:40

Sarri’s first words in the press conference

“I expect the team to improve further and eliminate the defects seen at the start of the season. The most obvious defects now are an approach to the match, in which we struggle. And in decisive moments we are lacking in some areas of the pitch, such as in defense and midfield. In the other 70 meters we are making progress. Simeone’s football? I said in Naples that he was different, but I respect him, he did very well in Europe and in Spain.”

15:24

Who speaks to Sarri at the press conference

Luis Alberto will appear at the press conference with the coach. The Spanish Magician, also celebrated in his homeland, is the player who has performed the most so far this start of the season.

15:15

Lazio’s numbers in the Champions League

For the Biancocelesti, this which is about to begin will be the eighth participation in the Champions League. There are 60 matches played: 24 wins, 16 draws, 20 defeats. Best result the quarter-finals in 2000.

15:00

Lazio, the program for the Champions League

Sarri’s conference at 3.30pm. At 5pm the Biancoceleste team will take to the field for finishing training. Tomorrow on the pitch at 9pm. The next Champions League match for Lazio will be on October 4th against Celtic away.

14:45

Lazio, Sarri speaks at a press conference

Maurizio Sarri speaks again. He does it on the eve of Lazio-Atletico Madrid, a match that marks the seasonal debut in the Champions League. The coach had not given a conference before Juventus, nor after. There are many topics on the table.

Formello – Press Room
2023-09-18 14:29:11
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