Ciro Immobile talked about the transfer market, his thoughts on Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and which job was toughest for Maurizio Sarri.
The 32-year-old Italian star had another strong season in Rome, shining under Sarri as he won his fourth Capocannoniere title. Immobile scored 27 goals in 31 Serie A appearances this season, continuing to be a key talismanic figure for Lazio.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Immobile first commented on the transfer market and his various moves.
The years after I came out of the Juventus Primavera were troubled years between loans and co-ownerships. I changed many cities many times before signing a contract with Lazio for life.
He gave his thoughts on Klopp, who he briefly worked under at Borussia Dortmund.
Back in the day when I went to sign, he was there at Borussia Dortmund and he told me why he had chosen me. They had seen about 60 games of mine and that shows Klopp’s professionalism. I’m immensely pleased about that.
The Lazio star touched on Sarri’s tough job in Rome this season and how it took some time for the squad to fully adapt to his new 4-3-3 system, a large departure from Simone Inzaghi’s 3-5-2.
The hardest work has been on the defence, the department that has been disrupted from a tactical point of view. They had some problems at the beginning, in fact they were working harder and harder.
This was due to the fact that the whole team had problems with the pressure the coach was looking for, as the ball was always uncovered the defence was struggling. We had a bit of a problem with the injuries to Acerbi and Luiz Felipe, luckily Patric had a great season.
At the beginning Lazzari also struggled, then he recovered. At the end of the day, as the coach said, it’s a pity the season is over because we had found the right balance and we were having fun.
Finally, Immobile touched on the new style of play seen in Roberto Mancini’s Azzurri side. Many fans called for him to retire from the national team following the failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
I spoke to the coach before the call-up, obviously we talked about the injury and so I couldn’t have been there. I’m happy, the coach is doing an important job.
I saw all three games and, apart from the second half with Argentina, I liked the first half hour, especially with Germany and Hungary there was more vertical football and I’m obviously pleased.
I can exploit my characteristics a bit more, I’m more than happy to give my contribution in the national team, as I’ve always said.
