Sarri: "Lazio is a matter of affection. Derby is a challenge between two peoples"

Grosseto 15 June 2025 – Two days to learn the secrets of mister Sarri, two days of clinic held by the coach who returned to the bench of the Lazio for coaches, insiders and enthusiasts. All this took place in Castiglione della Pescaia where the coach told some secrets of the business and where, at the end of it all, he also took a few moments to answer some questions from the journalists present. Here are the words of the coach reported by Ansa.

The first question for him was what convinced him to return to the Biancoceleste bench. "A question of affection. If I think about it clearly, materially, it is the chances of improving on the second place of the previous cycle, but they are not many. It was a speech of affection, I love everyone at Lazio, the storekeepers, physiotherapists, waiters and cooks. Everyone, as well as the fans. I haven't even thought about it that much. I don't know if it will be different, I'm coming back with the same spirit as before. I will fight for the market and I will certainly argue, these are all things I know and I don't come to settle. I will have the same demands as before and the same anger as before, it's all part of normality and it would be worrying if I took a different attitude".

Intrigued by the material theme of his return to Lazio the coach is asked about his goal in white and blue. "If you can trigger a sense of fun in the environment and in the team, you will also make the public have fun. When you succeed, you accept defeats and difficulties better, which will certainly be there. Unfortunately the position of the Lazio it doesn't allow us to be in Europe, but the goal is to get back there right away at any level. We're still happy to have time to train, but also to be in Europe. When I talk about calendars I've always done it not because I don't want to be in Europe, but because they have to be logical. I said it five years ago and they told me I was complaining, now everyone is saying it. It seems to me that we've reached the limit. We invented this tournament that is something that doesn't concern football, but sports politics and I'm not interested. The calendar has to be manageable and feasible for everything and everyone".

Arriving in a team very different from the one he coached, the coach speaks like this. "Seeing things from the outside is never the same as from the inside, maybe there's a player I like and then after ten training sessions I think he's not right for me. It happens often. Maybe instead I see him and he doesn't seem right to me, then instead it's the opposite. I'm waiting to see things from the inside, there are many players I know. Let's see if we can rejuvenate the team a little. It seems to me that at the moment the young players are able to be incisive and are able to do well, it's clear then that there are twenty-year-olds who cost exorbitant figures and it becomes difficult".

We also talk about work, which compared to the past, Sarri he claims will be different. “The calendar will be different, so will the work. We will have much more opportunities to work than in the past. In a year and a half, several players have changed and from the outside I struggle to say who is right for me or not. Let's wait until we can spend a few weeks together. The start of the season can be marked by players who are fit and others who aren't, you can get an untrue idea. The coach's job is to get the team to perform at one hundred percent, but then there are always limits. If there are stronger teams that perform at their best, you will finish behind".

The technician's reasoning on the fight for Europe continues, with an important warning on the level of Serie A. "I will have the task of taking the team to the limit, and if last year is true, it will be difficult to take them to Europe. There are also other rivals: I don't think that the Bologna you come ninth again and that the Milan can still finish eighth. There is the As an who wants to go to Europe. This is the national picture and it won't be easy. Let's see where this team can get to and then we'll understand the margin for improvement".

Going deeper into the topic on As an, there was also a little anecdote about Fabregas. "I met him in Coverciano in October - he says Sarri - he was behind in the standings. I told him not to worry because he would be in the middle of the standings: I had seen the team, it had nothing to do with the fight against relegation. He has a unique intelligence, superior to all the others. He has had very important experiences, he is in love with football, it was predictable that he would become a coach. I also find it quite predictable that in 2-3 years he will be in a top European team for all his qualities even when he was a footballer".

After some previous references, the transfer market topic is also touched upon, to which the coach responds as follows. "I will see the director again next week. He will tell me what his ideas are, he will bring me some names as I will do too, then we will see. The important thing is, as I told him, that if a defender has to arrive he must arrive now. In my opinion we are short in midfield if we want to play with 3, let's see if there is room for improvement or not".

After having touched on this topic, we will also touch on the topic of the individuals already in the squad today. Lazio including Dele Bashiru e Isaac. "I don't know how it is Dele Bashiru in dribbling. I saw him play as a trequartista and everyone tells me he is not. Let's see if we can bring him back to midfield and see how he can evolve. Some extra insiders Lazio they spoke well of him, I mean sports directors of other companies. Evidently he has some qualities. Isaac he arrived here a couple of years ago from Denmark, with another language, another way of eating and training. He had a difficult first few months, like anyone who arrives from abroad, especially the young ones. In the second part of the season he was already different and it showed. You wrote that he played little with me, but we need to go back and review the number of appearances because it doesn't seem like that to me. Maybe he had less minutes, but he was in a moment of adaptation, already at the end of the season he had shown us something. This year he has had some great flashes and moments in which he performed much less, but it seems to me that he has taken the right direction".

Other singles that are causing discussion at home Lazio they are the goalkeepers, on which Sarri he thinks so. "I think we have two strong goalkeepers. We'll go there and see who performs best, and that one will play. If the other one isn't happy in December, he'll leave. Putting up limits now seems extremely premature to me, they're strong and they'll play. Then if someone isn't happy in January they'll make a decision. Going to make a decision now between two potentially strong guys, seems premature to me".

Finally, we also talked about the derby, with Sarri to describe it like this. "If we start the derby now I'll faint before playing it. It's a beautiful but devastating match because it lasts a week. When the referee blows the final whistle you realize that your soul is empty. If anyone thinks it's a match they're wrong, it's a challenge between two peoples".