Lazio defeated Spezia Calcio 2-1 with goals from Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinković-Savić. After the victory, manager Simone Inzaghi spoke to the media, where he answered various questions, the first being the competitiveness that he sought from his squad.
All the matches are fought in Serie A. It’s not easy. Once we went 2-0, we should have managed the result better and scored the third goal, instead of collecting the 2-1 goal. But for how we prepared it. We knew we would have to suffer. But I congratulate the guys who showed me the competitive nastiness I was asking for.
The next question that the media threw at Inzaghi was over the goalkeeper position. Thomas Strakosha, who is the starter, has dealt with COVID-19 over the last month. As a result, the veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina has stepped in as the starter in Strakosha’s absence.
Despite Reina’s form this last month, it doesn’t seem as though Inzaghi wants to entertain a goalkeeper controversy and remains adamant that Strakosha is his starter once he returns.
I would not forget that the role of the goalkeeper is delicate, Strakosha has been affected by COVID-19 for a month, and when he is at his best, he will return to take his place. Reina is doing well, he is an important guide for the team, but I am not. I forget Thomas, who played with me for four and a half years and proved to be one of the best in the role.
Finally, Inzaghi touched on Lazio’s struggle this season; finding ways to get three points is an issue, as the Biancocelesti currently find themselves sitting seventh in the Serie A table. Despite their status on the table, they’re only three points out of a UEFA Champions League qualifying spot.
Absolutely, we needed these three points. We prepared it in 24 hours. Today we suffered as it should be, but after the Champions League match, we brought home a very important game for the classification and for the morale afterward.
The defeat against Udinese. There is regret for the points lost in the championship, but our team has had many infected with Covid such as Milinkovic, Immobile, Luis Alberto, Ramos, and Strakosha himself. We also had many defections which slowed down rotations and our growth.
