Lazio’s coach, Maurizio Sarri, expressed discontent regarding the perplexing transfer strategy of the club subsequent to their defeat against Fiorentina, emphasizing that responsibility does not lie with him.
The Biancocelesti once again struggled to establish momentum in their Monday evening encounter with Fiorentina, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat despite initially taking the lead in the 45th minute courtesy of Luis Alberto. Second-half goals from Michael Kayode and Giacomo Bonaventura sealed the victory for the hosts.
Throughout this season, Sarri has exhibited growing frustration from the sidelines, attributed to the predominantly underutilized acquisitions from the previous summer transfer window and the absence of reinforcements in the January market. Speculation is rife regarding his potential departure at the culmination of the season.
During his post-match press conference with TMW following the loss to Fiorentina, Sarri fielded inquiries regarding the limited appearances of certain players in the Lazio squad, such as Valentin Castellanos and Daichi Kamada.
“Everyone signs who they want… It seems to me that in July, the club were clear about who were doing the transfers. If I ask you for a player who is plan A, and you make me choose between C and D… It’s not like I did the market.
“But it’s not part of the discussion to be had this evening, we have mitigating circumstances but not many excuses, the performance was bad and the mental flatness evident. We weren’t shaken by the undeserved advantage, the draw or the disadvantage… Heavy performance.
“There were fears but even in a bad match I expected better. We went onto the pitch with two or three players who needed to take a breath or had flu symptoms. And there were those who came on without having trained for some time with the team.
“The tensions and physical accumulation make you heavy, I saw the team dull. To be able to play four competitions like us you need a strong material and mental structure, people used to playing every three days.”
Lazio’s recent loss has resulted in an eight-point deficit behind fourth-placed Bologna in the standings, following the completion of 26 matches.