Lazio will return from their holiday break as they look to get back into the Serie A top four when they take on Genoa CFC, who currently finds themselves in the Serie A table’s relegation zone. Manager Simone Inzaghi spoke with the media ahead of the matchup, where La Lazio Siamo Noi relayed his words.
The first question that the Italian manager answered was over having to leap over clubs in this second half of the season to finish in the top four.
We played well in the match againt Milan. It is an excellent playing facility, but you can’t make mistakes in certain matches. Against Napoli, we were less beautiful, but we didn’t make any mistake. In particular challenges, you cannot afford to mess up.
Inzaghi then touched on how he sees Vedat Muriqi, who has only made six appearances in Serie A this season.
In recent years we have had the same situation with other players. Luis Alberto, Felipe Caicedo, or Sergej Milinkovic-Savic come to mind.
With new players who come from another culture and nation, the fanbase must have patience, and he must feel everyone’s trust.
I expect more, but I am happy with what he is giving us. I am convinced that over time it will give us the desired result.
Next, the Lazio manager touched on any needs he wants the club to address as the winter transfer market is now open.
My need, and also my dream, is to have everyone available since February. Since we stopped with the lockdown and we left in May, I haven’t been able to have everyone available. I don’t mean everyone, because I think it’s impossible, but I would almost like to have them.
Tomorrow we will have some absences. We are evaluating with the club. We are waiting for the captain; in my opinion, he will be with us by the end of the month to give us a hand. We are evaluating with the president and the sports director; we talk daily.
Amid various reports of a possible departure, Inzaghi discussed his relationship with striker Felipe Caicedo and the role he sees Andreas Pereira playing in his 3-5-2 system.
There has been a lot of talk about Caicedo. He is one of those with whom I have the best relationship. For me, there is no problem. But I understand that I need to see these allegations in the eyes of my players.
These players have been with me for many years. A few days before the match in Milan, Caicedo had played an excellent game against Napoli. However, only two and a half days had passed. Muriqi, in my opinion, could have given us something more in Milan which is why I chose to go with him.
Tomorrow I will see between him, Muriqi, and Immobile. Pereira is settling in the best way, and he can replace Luis Alberto. For tomorrow, I could have Correa too; he is giving excellent signals. He is an important professional who trains well even if we do not often do it continuously due to the many close matches. Luckily we managed to do it with the break in the last four days.
One of the final questions that Inzaghi answers are his expectations for himself and the squad in 2021.
We’ll think about the Champions League when the time comes. We are the only Italian team who hasn’t lost yet. We’ll think about it when we have to play against Bayern. Since the restart, the performances have been there, but some more wins and points are missing…
