Maurizio Sarri was full of praise for the Lazio fans after the atmosphere that they created during their 1-0 win over AC Milan last night.
Lazio went into the game in a bit of a crisis with several key players injured, resulting in Patric – a centre-back by trade – having to step forward and play a deep-lying midfield role.
They navigated it well though, and only goal of the game came in the first half as Gustav Isaksen was able to latch onto a ball over the top and finish past Mike Maignan, with Pervis Estupinan caught out.
The win for the Biancocelesti came in front of over 50,000 fans at the Olimpico, something that they have not been used to given the protests in recent weeks.
Sarri spoke to DAZN after the final whistle to pick apart what was a brilliant night for his team and a very resilient defensive performance, with his words relayed by our colleagues at Football Italia.
How do you feel after a night like that?
“The whole night was emotional, as seeing the Stadio Olimpico with this spectacular atmosphere and these fans was wonderful. I am so happy that the team gave them this joy of a victory, but it would’ve been a memorable night regardless of the result.”
It was a strong first half performance…
“I feel that we should’ve finished the first half with more than a one-goal advantage, so if there was a criticism of our performance, it’s that. Clearly, we couldn’t maintain the intensity of that half, and had limited options to take off the bench, so that made it difficult as it wore on.”
Could Patric be a regista moving forward?
“I wouldn’t use this match for comparison to any other this season, because the lads were galvanised and motivated by the return of the fans. The atmosphere at the Olimpico was special tonight. This is a team that is improving in many areas, and we hope to lay solid foundations for the future.”
You were sent off in the closing stages. Has this been a tough time in a difficult season?
“It has been certainly the most difficult season of perhaps not my career, as I had tough ones in Serie C, but certainly the toughest in Serie A.
“The squad also needs to be praised, because they could’ve fallen apart, but they have overall kept training with the right attitude and maintaining their character.”
Can this night potentially change the atmosphere around Lazio for the final weeks, including the Coppa Italia semi-final with Atalanta?
“I don’t know, to be honest. What I heard from the fans is that this was a one-off, but I hope this wonderful atmosphere struck them as much as it struck us, and that the situation can be fixed, although I don’t know how quickly that can happen.
“I don’t want to make an appeal to the fans, because when people make decisions, they are to be respected, even when those decisions are painful.”
Allegri said that Lazio became a counter-attacking team in the first half…
“We’re a team that thrives on breaking away rather than ball-playing, so we can leverage these qualities. I took Isaksen off in the second half because he was breaking away too much and there was a risk of getting stretched out in an open-court duel with Milan.
“In the first half, when we broke away, we did poorly: the blame for the night was that we ended the first half 1-0.”
