Maurizio Sarri underlined the issue of fatigue in Lazio’s hard-fought 1-1 draw with Vincenzo Italiano’s Fiorentina.
The Biancocelesti took the lead after just eight minutes thanks to a Nicolo Casale flick following a corner, but were unable to hold onto their advantage as Nicolas Gonzalez found an equaliser for the Viola just after the half time break.
A Nikola Milenkovic shot ricocheted off the crossbar in the dying minutes of the match, letting Lazio off the hook after a difficult outing.
Speaking in a press conference (via TMW), Sarri first discussed Lazio’s performance against Fiorentina and how the game evolved.
The last 25 minutes I thought we would win, we had chances both to win and to lose. They gave a great performance, we arrived tired after the last few games, but in terms of attitude I liked the team.
They suffered together, came out and tried to take the three points. When you play like that you often come out of games like that when you are less brilliant. When you can’t win, it’s better not to lose. We messed up the game on our own.
They accepted the one-on-one at the back, but we always lost the ball as soon as we regained it. We could have done better technically, but it was the result of poor mental brilliance. We had three days less recovery time than them.
He touched on the physical conditions of his players.
I’m not worried. If I am, the other 19 coaches must be killing themselves as we are first in all the rankings.
I am convinced that tonight’s numbers are very high. We lacked brilliance, speed. We came from a game in which we spent a lot, especially in terms of nervous energy.
The 63-year-old Italian coach was asked if he expected reinforcements in this January transfer window.
I think these, who are all good players, have scored fewer goals than ours, who are few. We haven’t talked about anything, so I don’t expect anything.
We are us and we have to get the best out of these players. The market is the completion of work done over a long period. It’s not the solution to everything.
We go straight with these guys, if someone gives up we bring in a kid. There’s no need to get anxious.
He touched on the team’s defensive attitude against the Viola.
The team had a good defensive application today, the problem was not to concede counter attacks with so many lost balls.
Finally, Sarri gave his thoughts on the work of midfielder Marcos Antonio.
All four entries were very good. They invigorated the team, so much so that we thought we could even win today.
Lazio’s next outing is against Juventus in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on 2nd February.
