Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel underlined the squad’s fury after their recent disappointments and highlighted their fire to turn things around on the pitch.
The Biancocelesti had looked strong after the October international break, picking up wins over Sassuolo and Fiorentina, but they found more difficult in Europe, falling to Feyenoord in a 3-1 loss, the first defeat of their Champions League campaign.
Lazio are now under pressure to quickly pick up points in their remaining three group games as they look for a spot in the Round of 16. They currently sit third in their Champions League group with four points.
Speaking in a press conference (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Provedel first discussed the importance of Lazio’s clash with Feyenoord.
Everyone knows how important the game is. We just have to go on the pitch and drag each other along. I hope the fans arrive at the stadium the same way we will.
He touched on the team’s defensive issues this term.
There is no mathematical solution, otherwise we would have already found it. Last year we found solidity, this year we are taking longer.
But it’s not such an immediate issue. I think the only thing that must not be lacking is confidence and the spirit to believe in what you are doing.
The goalkeeper spoke about how it felt to have found the back of the net.
We talk about the goal, we joke about it. But I’m sorry that people talk about the strikers. Unfortunately, we are not succeeding, sometimes it didn’t go our way.
You have to be determined and decisive all the time, by doing that the strikers will unlock things.
He commented on the strengths of Feyenoord.
We’ve studied the opponents, we know what to do and what not to do. In the first leg we didn’t go in with the right spirit to face that kind of competition.
That will be the most important thing for the game. There will be a lot of duels that make the difference, it’s a question of head and not of study.
In reference to Maurizio Sarri’s press conference, Provedel was asked if the Champions League was fun or a commitment for Lazio.
If something is fun for you, it doesn’t mean you give it less importance, and vice versa. For me it’s a dream come true so I would like to go as far as possible.
I’d also like to play it next year, so I have to finish in the top four, that’s what the coach says. The league has to give us the points to get back into the Champions League, the cup gives us the fuel to do our best in the league.
Finally, Provedel discussed the mentality of the squad after the loss to Bologna.
The team is p*ssed off. Despite having come from some positive results in the league, unfortunately we had a bad performance in Rotterdam and that made us very angry. With Bologna we started strong, unfortunately it didn’t go the way we wanted.
What I see is a team that’s angry because we are not reaping what we’ve sown so far. We have to face this match head on. Put this one away and then think about the derby, which you know better than me how important that is. And that too must be tackled head-on.
