Seven points in seven games for the Biancocelesti. Sarri takes issue with the calendar but also with the club’s market: “I gave plan A, B and C but here we have arrived at X and Y”
Seven points in seven days. It hasn’t happened since the 2007-08 championship when Delio Rossi was on the Biancocelesti bench. With four defeats already suffered. The start of Maurizio Sarri’s team was decidedly negative. Especially after the expectations created by the achievement of second place in the last championship and the return to the Champions League. “The reality is that we are not a great team. Milan are. And the difference in capacity comes out in the long run”, declared Sarri yesterday after the defeat at Meazza. Even against Pioli’s team, Lazio highlighted its identity problems. Wednesday’s home win against Torino had made people believe in a turning point. But even in Milan the Biancocelesti were unable to have continuity over the ninety minutes due to problems in the setup and final phases: the gap in performance between the two halves was clear.
few goals
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Just seven goals were scored: a year ago, after the seventh matchday, the goals were 13, while the points in the standings were 14, three points behind the top duo, Napoli and Atalanta. The current score was affected by the difficulties of the away games against Juventus and Milan (two defeats), but a victory came at the home of another big player (Napoli). However, the stops in the first two days, in Lecce and at home against Genoa, especially left their mark. After the Meazza match, Sarri attacked “the League, UEFA, FIFA and all the rest of this gang who force us to play every 70 hours. The result is that in the last round of the championship there were between 40 and the 50 muscle injuries.” The Commander has never liked an overly compressed calendar, particularly in the parallel track between championship and cups. But the discontent of the coach, under contract until 2025, has also been directed towards the strategies of the Biancoceleste transfer market. Six outfield players have arrived to adapt the squad to the needs of the Champions League, but Sarri was waiting for other names, perhaps already from the start of retirement. “Have I shared the transfer market with the club? I indicated plans A, B, C etc. Then we arrived at this happens…”.
towards Glasgow
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Lazio is expected for the second round of the Champions League in Glasgow on Wednesday. The match against Celtic already becomes an important point towards qualification after the draw at the Olympic Games against Atletico Madrid. Sarri will probably be able to have Immobile back from the first minute in Scotland (against Milan he was only on the pitch towards the end due to fatigue). Four days after the face-to-face match in Rome against Atalanta it will be another decisive check on Lazio’s conditions. We need to move up the rankings quickly so as not to compromise our early season plans.