Lazio Director De Cosmi: “Drawing Bayern Is Definitely the Worst on Paper”

Lazio technical director Roberto De Cosmi discussed the Biancocelesti’s Champions League Round of 16 clash against Bayern Munich in an interview with Italian radio broadcaster Lazio Style Radio yesterday.

Definitely on paper the worst, the most prolific team in recent years. Some will have to fear us, we’ve had a great run in Europe. This challenge has a lot of charm and allows us to face the Germans with little pressure. The Champions League absorbs considerable physical and mental energy.

It’s not a coincidence that those who are now at the top of the best European leagues don’t play the top European competition. In these months we’ve been running a lot and it’s normal to lose something in the league. With little recovery time it is even more difficult.

He touched on the duel between Lazio’s Ciro Immobile and Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski, two players who fought for the Golden Boot award last campaign.

They are both two great European strikers. King Ciro is trying to confirm himself after winning the Golden Shoe. I admire the Polish forward so much for his lucidity. Lazio must be calm because we know that we are up against the best.

The Lazio technical director spoke about former player Miroslav Klose, who is now an assistant manager at the Bavarian club.

He is a great professional and he will be back at the Olimpico. We have admired him in our colors and he has been an example. I define this as a difficult but very fascinating challenge, also because of its many facets.

De Cosmi discussed the Biancocelesti’s current poor position in the Serie A table after 11 games.

The many commitments and the way in which they are faced determine these drops, Acerbi’s injury is an example. There are no easy teams in the league. I said that against Verona it would have been very difficult, then the individual moments went against us, but that’s football.

In Europe we gave everything and this was paid for in Serie A. The other teams also struggled in this round. The league table is still quite tight, we have to find the right balance and try to recover positions.

Finally, De Cosmi spoke about the many absences in the squad.

Rotations are necessary in this period, given the absences that Inzaghi has to manage. The coach will take until the last second to get the best picture of who to line up in Benevento.

Akpa Akpro is quite impetuous when he comes in, but I don’t think he did anything to deserve a caution. He is an important asset for us and his absence will be felt as he is not the only one who will miss the game.

Tags Bayern Munich Biancocelesti Champions League Italy Lazio Roberto de cosmi Serie A