Lazio, Sarri: Achieving last 16 was a miracle

Lazio coach, Maurizio Sarri, signalled his team’s readiness to take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League clash during a press conference. He urged his team to confront the imminent challenge without fearing the profile of their competitors.

“My theory is that games need to be aggressively approached. If you don’t do it, you will face passive consequences,” Sarri asserted. “Looking at the training, the players seem stimulated, playing in such a stadium is always challenging yet inspiring. I hope that the boys keep their focus on the match and sidestep any foolish appraisal. Being in the first place matters a lot.”

Reflecting on Lazio’s past performance and the rectification of past errors, the coach spoke hopefully about the potential for improvement. “I hope not much has changed, except the error made in 30 seconds at Verona. I felt that we had played a high-level match, the figures confirmed it, they were even superior to the Sassuolo challenge. I hope the team repeats what was done in the recent matches.”

Addressing the expectations surrounding Lazio and the stress it generates, Sarri noted, “We have made a miracle going to the round of 16. Comparing ourselves with Atletico is not viable, they are in a different league compared to us. But we will still play. The Lazio environment can be devastating, not at the club level where everything is very good. However, the surrounding atmosphere creates unattainable expectations, causing frustration.”

Sarri stressed the importance of managing the pressure within the Lazio environment: “It needs to calm down, not heat up. An environment that needs to be logical and hence more optimistic. Otherwise, if you expect outlandish things, everything becomes perplexing. Our fans usually respond very well.”

Further comments made by Sarri in the indication of the Champions League clash can be read on Lazio News 24.