Maurizio Sarri was relieved to see his Lazio respond on the pitch against Cremonese after their mid-week loss to FC Midtjylland.
The Biancocelesti needed a good reaction after their 5-1 embarrassment at the MCH Arena in Denmark last week and they duly delivered in Cremona, with goals from Ciro Immobile, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Pedro doing enough to bring home the three points.
Lazio can now head into the international break with a weight off their minds, allowing them to shake off the defeat in Denmark and regroup ahead of their next set of fixtures.
Speaking to gathered reporters in a press conference (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Sarri first reacted to Lazio’s win over Cremonese.
Today the team did well, they were tough and determined. We didn’t just manage the game, we weren’t passive, we played a good match.
Rehabilitation? I would like this match to be about awareness and not reaction.
He looked back at the loss to FC Midtjylland and examined why the two performances were so different.
The first 25 minutes we played better in Denmark. But if you stop 30 metres away from goal… I don’t like reactions, because it has as its premise the balls-up.
I would like it to be an awareness that we have made certain mistakes and we know where to put our hands so we don’t make them again.
I’d like this to be the team’s response, because if we always need a reaction it means that in 15 days we’ll balls it up again.
Problem solved? I don’t know, last year when we stopped doing the three games a week we didn’t have this problem anymore. So it could be that it’s just the inability to maintain great nervous energy at such a close distance.
The Lazio coach spoke about the team’s work so far this season, comparing it to their results in the second half of last campaign.
If we don’t let Thursday’s game affect us, it’s a positive moment. We are averaging two points per league game. Touching on it, we seem to be conceding fewer goals than last year. Despite the weekly crap we are still in the fight to go for Champions League qualification.
If we don’t let Thursday’s game affect us, the moment is positive. Positive also from the players, in the sense that today we clearly have the feeling that we can rely on more players.
Sarri discussed the work from his players in their 4-0 win over Cremonese.
We entered the game well, we went ahead at the first chance created. The reaction was the right one. We didn’t settle, we continued to propose play, after the second goal we could have scored action after action.
The first goal put the game on a downward slope, then we did well in the second half because we managed the game in a momentary manner and not passively as in other circumstances. I saw a good game and a good Lazio.
He commented on if he expects to be suspended for his frustrations on the sidelines.
I think so, but in the last two weeks I have seen coaches disqualified galore. Today I think the referee misinterpreted the situation, the fourth official knows very well how the story went.
It was the last slot, we were making the changes and Cancellieri was supposed to come in for Immobile and instead at that moment Patric asked us to change, so we had to stop the substitutions because they were the last two and we had to get Cancellieri back on the bench and get Gila up, and he took it as a waste of time.
I will be disqualified and it won’t be the last time.
The Lazio coach spoke about if he regrets the draw against Sampdoria this campaign, considering their position in the league table.
After seven games having regrets is not possible. The draw against Samp left us regretting the way the game went. But looking at the standings now has little impact, tonight there will be eight teams within three points.
The standings leave time for the moment. We don’t know what kind of season we’ll play, the feeling is good since the training camp. But at the moment we cannot yet know what our strength and our role in the season will be.
Finally, Sarri discussed his Cremonese counterpart Massimiliano Alvini.
Massimiliano is a football lover, he is driven by passion. And when passion pushes you sooner or later you come out, if you start from the bottom like I did. He has an important task this year, a difficult task, but rest assured he has the heart, soul and head to go all the way.
I just said goodbye to him, because when you lose net at home you don’t even want to talk to your wife. I’d say it’s easier if I call him in a few days and let some time pass.
