Maurizio Sarri doesn’t expect his Lazio to face a physical Celtic side but highlighted how they’re a ‘dangerous team in certain respects’.
The Biancocelesti secured a point in their Champions League opener after a sensational Ivan Provedel header picked up the equaliser in their match with Atletico Madrid.
Celtic suffered a 2-0 loss to Feyenoord in their opening game but have looked strong in the Scottish Premiership and are fired up to get a positive result as they look to escape Group E.
Speaking in a press conference (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Sarri was first asked if the interpretations of his statements to the press annoy him.
Instrumentalisation is only reporting some words and not all. However, we are here for a Champions League match, we are at the top of the club competition, it seems offensive to me to talk about other things.
I’m not interested in saying anything else, unfortunately that’s how it is here. You say eight words, they extrapolate two and give them the meaning they want. It means that from now on instead of saying eight words I will only answer yes or no.
He touched on his expectations for the clash with Celtic.
It’s not a physical match. Celtic are the least physical team in the group. They are a team that has a lot of dynamism, great pace and great intensity.
If by physical you mean a team that are very dynamic and play with a lot of intensity, yes, but physical in terms of impact, no.
The Lazio coach spoke about if redemption was a factor in the match.
Here we are in the Champions League, we don’t have to redeem ourselves for anything to be competitive all the way.
There are no other motivations to look for. The Champions League is the most important competition, we can play for the passage to the knockout stages.
Sarri was asked if Lazio were suffering the same mental block as last season.
No, today there is a good atmosphere within the squad. This makes us confident, but at the same time we cannot understand what could have happened. I have an idea, but I won’t tell you, I tell them in the locker room.
He spoke about the attitude needed against Celtic.
We are a team of strategy. Personality matters much more than the tactical aspect. We did it also on Saturday against Milan, we lacked personality afterwards. They brought us down, we could have managed with more personality and nastiness.
I also liked the fact that we wanted to react after Milan’s lead. Either it’s an attitude problem from when they put us under, or it’s the usual problem we have in the second half.
The Lazio coach commented on the dangers of Celtic.
It seems to me they are a very dangerous team in certain respects. From a technical point of view, they surprised me, they also have some important values.
I also saw the first match in the Champions League, in a numerical tie against Feyenoord they deserved much more.
Finally, Sarri was asked about his squad choices.
We haven’t thought yet about who can play. We will have a meeting with the staff and then decide.
