Maurizio Sarri will face his former assistant Luca Gotti tomorrow, who is helming Udinese: “He has an uncommon intelligence. I always listened to him at Chelsea because he was never banal. It will be a tough game as they are a very physical team.”
Lazio have been highly seesawing so far: “I always focus on winning matches, but our issues are evident. We have picked three points in three matches after international breaks, four following Europa League fixtures. Instead, we have collected 14 in normal games. The problem is not tactical but mental. You spend a lot of nervous energy. We had already lost in the warm-ups in the Napoli clash. It was frustrating. You need to have clear ideas. Jurgen Klopp finished 12th and 8th in his first two seasons at Liverpool, and then he won everything. I do not think to be like him though, as he is much better.”
Sarri addressed Felipe Anderson’s inconsistency: “He has extraordinary skills but also a very delicate character. He is different from others. That is why he becomes fragile at times. You risk further sinking his morale if you replace him. But it is also hard to deploy him when he is not in form.”
Sarri weighed in on the transfer market: “I never indicated any name, just pointed out some needs. In my mind, it is better to plan two or three windows in a row, not just try to find bargains. That is how you can build a serious team. I think there is the right context to work here, as there is not a too much pressure to get results. I do not care about what the media say. Nobody should be singled out for what happened in Naples, as the responsibility was collective.”