Sarri: "Lazio, Let's Have Fun Together"

Presentation day for Maurizio Sarri.  The new Lazio coach will speak at the press conference to introduce himself and to answer the reporters' questions in the Formello press room.  Together with him will be the sporting director Igli Tare.  

The conference begins with the screening in the press room of the video that was published by Lazio on the day of Sarri's announcement.

"I don't see the duality with Mourinho.  I met him, he is a beautiful character who is very nice to me.  He has won more than me and has a higher pedigree than mine. "

"In the derby, we will do everything to win.  I have no quotes at the moment, I will quote myself more than other characters, as I said to the team I want to see a spirit of sacrifice during the week to have fun on Sunday and want to dominate the games, this is what I would like to see from the team."

"I am here for two reasons, firstly for personal reasons because Lazio allowed me to bring my best character. The second reason is sporting because in this team I see the conditions for doing what I like.  Lazio comes at a time when I needed this type of club, with these characteristics, which could lead me to do this job in the most suitable way for me."

"Reinforcements?  Time is unimaginable, in my experiences I have seen a bit of everything, between Empoli, Napoli, Chelsea, and Juventus.  It is difficult to predict how a group can react, we will see how we can limit the difficulties that will inevitably come in this first season."

"With the Director we have made a list of roles to play another football than in the past, so far we have focused more on the roles than on the names.  It will be a difficult market for everyone.  I'd like to start tomorrow morning with the final list of players but I know that in today's football it's not easy, you have to be ready for any solution."

"Immobile?  Mancini is spending the words for him, who always rank him as a starter.  He hasn't scored in a few games but the team doesn't miss anything, in every respect.  He comes at a time when the goals fail, the wish is that the most important one arrives. Immobile who has seen in these games leaves me very calm. Coaches ratings are different from reporters ratings."

"Clubs are made up of people who represent a team at a given historical moment.  This path will not be simple and short, in the initial stages with new teams I have always struggled, when you have precise ideas and want to play a type of football it is always difficult, it takes time, it is not easy to put together 25 different brains.  It will be a long journey but I am convinced and I hope that in the end, we will see a fun football, regardless of the result."

"The main goal is to have fun, this starts with the coach, which involves the players.  It is, therefore, possible to create important alchemy: playing well, few games are lost."

"Luis Alberto?  He did not respond to a call, it is a club problem from a management point of view.  Morally, I'm waiting for you to talk to me and the team to explain why.  I don't see him in the role in front of the defense, he has to express his quality in the last thirty meters."

"Felipe Anderson?  At Lazio, he played seven months as a stratospheric player.  In his first year in England, he did well, his problem is continuity.  We want to create the conditions around him to maintain his enormous potential, it is his and ours to make it more continuous.  I hope to be able to understand it and make it more continuous."

"I lived the waiting for the signing quietly, I have no social profiles.  I am pleased that the fans are happy with my arrival, the pressure is normal and is part of every square."

"I find it hard to consider coaching as a profession since coaching is a pleasure.  I have not missed football behind closed doors, especially the workweek, not the match.  With the fans at the stadium, everything will grow out of all proportion in a short time, with the hope of seeing the full stadiums again soon.  Now I want to go back to coaching."

"Tactics?  I did the 4-2-3-1, then 4-3-1-2, I moved on to 4-3-3.  I have always been told that I am a fundamentalist but I find it hard to understand.  The goal would be to start with 4-3-3 but then there is an evolution."

"I have often changed form concerning the work done in the first ten days of preparation.  Our outside need to be protected, the 4-3-1-2, for example, is very rare for them, it stretches the defensive runs.  Our outside has scored a lot together last year, I want them to continue to have this offensive danger.

"Each team has certain characteristics, this team has many players capable of creating a goal chance.  Over the years I have had strikers who have scored a lot, but alternative solutions are needed when a striker will scoreless."

"The first year will be of construction, this does not preclude us from anything.  It will only be more difficult than in the following years but we do not give up.  In the following years, we will surely have the main objective of all the teams from the middle of the table upwards"

"In 2020 Lazio were the most formidable opponent, given that they had continuity.  This year in the final phase of the season they scored few points, when this happens I don't think it's a matter of physical preparation, apart from post lockdown games."

"We are facing crazy calendars, where no one, between UEFA and FIFA, helps teams and national teams.  Even for the latter, the categories would be needed to reduce the matches.  I hope everyone is willing to return to sustainable football."

"The goal is to become a highly competitive team.  They offered me a four year contract but I chose a shorter duration because of my age, I wanted to make sure I still had the same power in these two years, if so then I could extend my tenure here,."

"The Europa League is a difficult tournament, it takes you to play on Thursday evenings with long away matches.  It requires very long resilience, provides a non-trivial vastness of pink.  My Chelsea had many players, which allowed me to rotate many players.  Fatigue is not only physical but also mental from the whole environment, football and others.  Let's see what kind of squad comes out, when you play in Europe you have to give everything, regardless of the competition.  This year the level will be even higher, we hope to be competitive.  I'd rather break out in March than make a fool of myself in Europe."

"Social networks did not bring us an improvement but a worsening of social relations, I am still someone who already struggles with the telephone relationship, I like to speak in the face."

"Lotito?  I don't come from simple experiences at the level of presidents, I think I can have a good relationship with him too.  The history of Lazio offers many situations that remain in mind, the one I hold dearest is that of Maestrelli, a character who has remained particularly dear to me."

"The 4-man defense is ideal for my tactical directives, I don't have the patience to wait for the opposing teams so I prefer to take the high." 

"Outside?  They will all start a new path, Lazzari told me that he is ready to play 4. Marusic has a good leg, he can play 4 without problems."

"Correa can play the role of winger who starts from the left, let's see if he wants.  He had expressed the desire to change the environment, if he changes his mind I'm the happiest of all."

"I spoke to Peruzzi five days ago, he is important for Lazio and I hope to find him after the physical problems because he can give us a great hand."

"We have three central strikers for two places, we will see what the markets propose and we will decide accordingly, we will see in the coming weeks.  Leiva has two constructors with important offensive qualities alongside, Milinkovic is also good in defense.  Luis Alberto is not a matchmaker but he brings important movements."