Milan-Lazio, Giroud finds Sarri – La Gazzetta dello Sport

Sarri once used it as a shield. Building behind Giroud, tall and big, two shoulders like that, 11 trophies and the reputation of “common bomber”. “For some the numbers count, for Ciro not. France won a world championship with Olivier as center-forward. In 7 games he has never scored”. With Maurizio yes, however, decisive in the final of the Europa League in 2019, in the 4-1 against Arsenal, top scorer with 11 rings in 14 games. On Wednesday the two will meet as opponents in the Italian Cup, quarter-finals at San Siro. Giroud has just decided the derby with a brace, Sarri won 3-0 in Florence and hasn’t conceded a goal in four games. En garde.

Vs Higuain

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Between the two there is a close relationship, almost of friendship, which began with a misunderstanding. In January 2019 Chelsea take on Higuain and Giroud gets strange. He knocks on the boss’s office. “Mister, can I talk to you?”. Outspoken guys the two. “Why did Gonzalo arrive?”. “Because it’s Gonzalo”. Thirty-six goals in Naples in his best year. The Frenchman does not give up. The Argentine plays in the league, he in the Europa League, and at the end of the year Chelsea wins the trophy. “Sometimes I didn’t understand Sarri’s choices, Higuain’s arrival was a hard blow, but I always tried to show him that he was wrong”. No hard feelings, on the contrary, because Maurizio likes Giroud types. Those who “now I’ll show you”. Years ago they told him that he would not have a future in Ligue 1, then he won it as a protagonist with Montpellier.

Him and Pedro

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Misunderstanding has become esteem. Mutual trust. Sarri told a nice background about him. Another man knocking on his office door, this time it’s Zola. “Maurizio, we have to decide on the formation”. Chelsea-Arsenal in a few hours, time for choices. “Gianfranco asked me what ideas I had. I told him that Giroud and Pedro would play safe. They have never missed a final ”. The Spaniard has taken it back to Lazio and has not betrayed so far, quite the contrary: 8 goals and 5 assists in 29 games. On Wednesday he will challenge Olivier, who among other things was close to Lazio in January 2020, before the pandemic stopped the world. Tare tried to the last, Inzaghi believed in it, in the end he stayed at Chelsea. He and Pedro, in addition to the Europa League with goals in the final, also won the 2018 FA Cup.

Cup man

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On the bench was Conte, who paraded the Frenchman at Arsenal in January. The reason was told by Angelo Alessio, Antonio’s historic deputy: “he took away an FA Cup and a Super Cup from us, we had to have him with us”. Today Sarri focuses on Immobile, the usual sniper, 22 goals in 27 games, but a deputy Ciro like Olivier would suit him. “In times of need, there is always”. Also because he is the man of the Cup: in his career he has won four FA Cups and three Community Shields, with 31 goals in 69 games in national trophies. He also scored at Genoa this year. Sarri fears an old friend’s trip. Common bomber? Just bomber.