On the field Sassuolo-Lazio LIVE
At the Mapei Stadium, Lazio will enter the field with only one mission: to snatch the victory from Sassuolo, which was necessary after only one point in the first two games of 2023.
Maurizio Sarri
wants the disappointments against Lecce and Empoli to be put aside: "The team has shown they can play good football, but the goal is to stay in the match for 100 minutes."
Within the friendly walls of Reggio Emilia, Sassuolo have an exceptional performance, "difficult to explain": "They have scored more than double the points and goals scored away, and they have been achieving important results at home with the big names for years - he continues Sarri - Dionisi is a good coach who did very well at Empoli and did well last year. He is part of De Zerbi's school, like Palladino who will emerge soon."
Lazio trained "very well even if a little saddened by the results" during the week;
after the comeback suffered with Empoli,
Sarri had spoken of problems of mental capacity.
"Our physical data from the last 20 minutes of a match are in line with those of the first 20, we struggle more in terms of mental tiredness, which makes us more passive and at the mercy of events. We have to work on this and find a key, but the kids have to get rid of so many disturbing thoughts, so they can improve a lot"
After a joke about Milinkovic ("Last Sunday he performed at a good level compared to the previous ones, losing 10 balls and no longer 25, like everyone who returned from the World Cup he had difficulty restarting"), the coach talks about competitive nastiness (" When the referee calls for 4 minutes of added time and you're up 2-1, you shouldn't play anymore. We mustn't be mean, but we need more mean management of the match") and the Champions League fight ("In the last 10 years of Lazio I don't see many Champions League placements, if we did it would be miraculous".
As for the Scudetto race after the Napoli show against Juve, Sarri has no doubts: "I am thinking of my team, but I see Napoli as difficult to reach. Spalletti said that in Naples they remember more of the years with me on the bench than those with Benitez? I was pleased with your words, but I think that in a few years there will be more talk about Spalletti...".