Former coach Arrigo Sacchi delivered his analysis of tonight’s clash between Lazio and Inter Milan, according to an interview published in La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Sacchi began his critique by acknowledging that Inter possesses the stronger side than Lazio. The Italian coach hinted at this by comparing the respective budgets of both teams, stating that, “Lazio has invested only 30% of what the Nerazzurri have.” As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, he indicated that the loss of a player like Milinkovic and no immediate replacement have hurt Lazio. Moreover, Sacchi noted that Lazio’s key striker Ciro Immobile, while impressive, “has a year more and is not always at his peak”. However, Sacchi did not count Lazio out entirely and suggested that they could still pull off an upset.
According to the former coach, a key factor to the upcoming match is ‘ball possession’. In his words – “This is the key”. Sacchi advised that Lazio should emulate the approach taken by Real Sociedad in the Champions League. He pointed out that Sociedad dominated at San Siro and did not fall victim to Inzaghi’s team’s potent counterattacks. He observed that the Spanish team managed to maintain effective pressing, unlike Lazio, who usually struggle with it due to a lack of suitable personnel. “‘So, it is necessary to focus on the game, on the collective, on maneuvers, on technical skills’,” Sacchi added according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
For more on Sacchi’s insights and comments, see the full interview published on Lazio News 24.