Matteo Guendouzi opened up about Maurizio Sarri’s shock resignation, his time at Lazio so far and the arrival of Igor Tudor.
The 24-year-old French midfielder started life slowly in the Italian capital, but he’s grown increasingly impressive in recent months, scoring three goals and providing three assists across 37 matches, quickly earning appreciation from the fans.
Earlier this month, Maurizio Sarri unexpectedly resigned from his post at Lazio, forcing the club to quickly find a replacement. He was replaced by Igor Tudor, who Guendouzi knows well from their time together at Olympique Marseille.
Speaking to Le Parisien via (La Lazio Siamo Noi), Guendouzi first discussed his move from Marseille to Lazio last summer and how things have changed over the last few months.
I changed clubs in the summer, and I needed to adapt to a new environment and a new league, but I think that returning to the national team rewards the consistency of my performances at the club. I knew that coach Deschamps continued to follow me.
He even told me so and complimented my performances with Lazio. I was able to work with Maurizio Sarri, a great coach, as demanding as Emery, Arteta, Sampaoli or Tudor.
In seven months at Lazio, he made me grow a lot tactically. Before I was less disciplined, and I had the tendency to run just about everywhere. Now I know how to position myself better and measure my strength.
He was then asked about Sarri’s shock resignation and the arrival of Tudor.
I was a bit surprised and shocked because he did a great job, taking Lazio to second place in one of the best leagues in the world, reaching the Round of 16 of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.
But the choice must be respected, he preferred to take a step back because he thought it was better for the team. Tudor did good things at Marseille, even if at the end of last season, it was a bit complicated for everyone and we failed to finish second, ending up third.
But Tudor had also done well at Verona and his idea of football could do damage to the other Serie A teams.
Guendouzi was recently called up to the France squad for their friendlies with Germany and Chile, and he’s hoping to make the cut for the upcoming European Championships in the summer.
