Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri underlined his ‘great satisfaction’ after the upset Champions League win over Bayern Munich.
The Biancocelesti edged out a key 1-0 victory over the Bavarian giants in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie, securing the win after a second-half penalty from talismanic striker Ciro Immobile.
Lazio now have a real chance of upsetting Bayern and progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals, something that would give the team a key boost in confidence and important source of revenue.
Speaking in a press conference (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Sarri was first asked if Lazio could replicate the performance that saw them beat Bayern.
No one has that quality. There are teams that, due to their technical qualities, manage to win even games in which they’re unable to express themselves, we struggle more with this.
Then it’s also a question of getting used to playing certain matches and everything else. An applied and determined Lazio like this one would have a different spot in the league table too but it’s all part of the package.
He commented on the performance of his squad.
As I always tell the players, if one makes himself available to the collective he’s diminished from an individual point of view. Today the team worked and therefore it’s easier for the individuals to play a good game.
I’m happy for Cataldi because after a period in which he wasn’t able to repeat last year’s performances, now he’s back on the right path, but I’m happy with all the guys who took to the pitch.
The only point is that in the last 15 minutes we were content to win when we could’ve really strongly.
The Biancocelesti coach provided updates on Elseid Hysaj and Mario Gila.
Hysaj, I think it’s a sprained ankle, I don’t think Gila has anything serious, he had a bit of a stomach ache. Tonight in the locker room there were more players in relaxed clothes than in football clothes.
The doubt is whether he’ll be able to recover someone quickly, playing all these matches with the squad that was available tonight becomes difficult.
Sarri was asked if that was his best night in the Lazio dugout.
There is great satisfaction when you manage to get a result against these teams, but there’s a little more happiness winning the derby.
He commented on the development of his project in the Italian capital.
I haven’t been here for just a month, this is my third year. In Italy opening long cycles is very complicated.
I feel great here, if there was the possibility of making a leap in quality, I would be happy for myself, for the club and for the fans.
I have fought in these three years to achieve this but this evening we played against a team that have a turnover of €800 million a year.
The Lazio coach returned focus to Serie A.
The league is part of the package, if all the competitions could be played without having drops in one or the other, it would require a mental capacity that even Bayern, who have €800 million in turnover, struggle to have. Tonight I’m happy, tomorrow morning when I get up I’ll be thinking about Bologna.
He commented on the satisfaction of securing victory over Bayern.
I feel satisfaction for the guys and the fans, this evening it was an electrifying stadium so I’m pleased that for one evening the Lazio fans can party.
It will be very tough there but this evening we took part in a party, on Sunday we will return to reality.
Sarri spoke about the renewed work of Immobile.
Immobile is starting to feel better physically and is putting out increasingly good performances. It was hard to take him off tonight, but I didn’t want to take the risk of pushing him to the limit.
He’s growing, what’s important at the moment is that he has consistency in training and of performance. Maybe he won’t score 35 goals again but if he plays like this evening, he will score many.
Finally, Sarri discussed Lazio’s battles with injuries.
The injury problem is serious, we don’t have Bayern’s squad. For us if we’re missing six players it’s a problem, I had to add Patric, who returned to the group yesterday.
Having all the central midfielders out and only Cataldi available can be problematic with the schedule we have.
I don’t take the pebbles out of my shoes, I don’t read anything, I don’t care about anything, I have a nice f*cking face.
