Maurizio Sarri did not directly tackle the recent speculations about his future in the presser before facing Sassuolo: “Claudio Lotito visited the training center, but his main goal was to talk with the players. We both did. My perspective is just the next game. I am confident everybody will give their 100 percent even though some are on expiring contracts.”
The coach addressed Ciro Immobile’s struggles with Italy: “He is becoming the scapegoat of this situation. He must not take umbrage for that, and he looked combative to me. If I were him, I would know what to do about my international career, but it is up to him to make the call.”
According to Radiosei, the president and Sarri had a meeting to discuss the future, but it was inconclusive at best. The gaffer is looking for reassurances about the transfer market strategies. Lotito and the manager agreed to play out the season and revisit things at the end of it.
The coach commented on Italy following the World Cup shocker: “I do not think national teams really reflect the football system of a country. There are too many foreigners. It is evident that there are some issues. If you look at the infrastructures in Premier League or Bundesliga, Serie A is 50 years behind. They say I complain too much when I argue about the quality of pitches. However, we wind up paying the price for the lack of attention to detail. We fell from grace in the last 20 years.”