“If I knew for sure this was my fault, I would leave.”
Maurizio Sarri’s comments may not tell the whole story of the dire state Lazio are in ahead of Celtic’s visit, but they do paint a strong picture.
Two and a half years into his Roman reign, the former Chelsea manager is facing more outspoken critics than ever before after one of his worst results to date.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Salernitana was as bad as it gets in Serie A at the moment. Before kick-off, Pippo Inzaghi’s side had not won a league match all season and were top of the table.
But the result also underlined the problems that have plagued Lazio in the 2023/2024 season: a tendency to flop against players at the lower tables, a botched attack and an over-reliance on a handful of players.
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“The performances of many players are not at the level of last season,” Sarri said. ‘Maybe that’s my fault, but we all have to accept responsibility.
‘If I were the owner of Lazio, I would be tough. I’m not a fan of a ritiro [a punitive training camp] but I would do something to break this inertia. The team has lost character and initiative; something isn’t working.’
It’s true that last season’s high bar has made this year’s stuttering start a bitter pill to swallow. Lazio have gone from second place, their highest since winning the Scudetto in 1999/2000, to the bottom half of the table. Of their six league defeats, four came against teams they expected to beat without much fuss: Lecce, Genoa, Bologna and Salernitana.
Now, after thirteen games, Lazio are ten points worse off than they were at this point last season and are heading for their most miserable start to a league campaign in a decade.
No wonder club president Claudio Lotito is leaving not-so-subtle messages in the media.
“We need to see a turnaround right away or heads will roll very quickly,” he said.
However, the surprising drop in performance levels hasn’t just left fans perplexed. Sarri, one of Italy’s most tactically astute coaches, is also baffled.
‘I don’t understand what’s different about me compared to last year. “I challenge them even more,” he said.
“If I decide in the coming days that it is my fault, I will be the first to make the decision to leave by talking to the president.”
Failed Lazio have endured their most miserable start to a league campaign in a decade
The main problem Lazio faces is a chronic lack of goals. While the attacking trident that took them to second place last season remains the same – Ciro Immobile, Felipe Anderson and Mattia Zaccagni – the loss of midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Al Hilal over the summer is painfully palpable. Lazio have struggled to create in the absence of the influential Serb, a former Serie A midfielder of the year, with Luis Alberto now shouldering the burden of creative responsibility.
Saturday’s visit to Salerno was the first time this season that Lazio missed Alberto due to suspension. They slumped to their worst result yet, while failing to challenge the joint-worst defense in the division.
In their last six games, Lazio have scored four goals, but only one has come from open play – Immobile’s winner against Feyenoord in the final Champions League round. Last season’s success was built on a solid defense that produced a club record 22 clean sheets and a ruthless attack that regularly outperformed xG.
Sarri managed to rediscover some of that defensive steel before the international break, conceding once in four games, but an injury to key defender Alessio Romagnoli left them looking disorganized in Salerno with a rarely tested combination of Patric and Mario Gila – who is now expected to start against Celtic too.
Despite their crumbling foundations, Lazio have regularly proven to be dangerous on big occasions.
Last season they defeated all their ‘big seven’ clubs in Serie A, while this year they defeated Napoli and Atalanta and claimed consecutive European victories over Celtic and Feyenoord.
There is a pattern of Lazio producing in big games, and few are bigger than on Tuesday, with a response desperately needed and a European campaign on the line.
“Lazio need to ask themselves some questions,” former Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo told DAZN. ‘The game against Celtic is so important.
“In the competition they are starting to distance themselves from the pack, and we are not seeing the same level as last year.”
Lazio will have to do without Alessio Romagnoli, Nicolo Casale and Zaccagni against Celtic
Midfielder Danilo Cataldi spoke after the Salernitana defeat about how Lazio must ‘change course, otherwise our objectives will be unattainable’.
Despite storm clouds gathering over the Stadio Olimpico, a win on Tuesday would put Lazio into the last 16 of the Champions League with a game to spare if combined with an Atletico Madrid victory over Feyenoord.
That would be quite an achievement for a side in only the second time in 15 years in Europe’s top competition, and it would buy Sarri some time to figure out how to get this team going in Serie A.
“I hope it’s a different story in the Champions League because the mentality of the team in the competition worries me,” Sarri said.
‘Sometimes they can work wonders in the Champions League. We’ll see if we go on the pitch against Celtic with a different mentality.’
That could well be the case, although they will also have to leave without three key players: Romagnoli, the injured central defender Nicolo Casale and winger Zaccagni, who suffered an injury in Salerno.
Pedro is likely to take a spot up front instead, an unwelcome sight for Celtic fans after his last heroic display at Parkhead in October. Crucially, Alberto will be back in midfield.
Sarri is right about Lazio’s different mentality in this competition. The distracted complacency that has plagued them in Serie A has not been on display during the midweek matches.
This is in stark contrast to previous seasons, where it was often the other way around: Lazio performed better at the weekend and regularly flopped in the Europa League.
Lazio fell to a 2-1 defeat against Salernitana, bottom of the Serie A table, on Saturday.
This year, however, apart from the elimination against Feyenoord in Rotterdam, Lazio is an expert in finding a way on the continent. In the unforgettable opener against Atletico, goalkeeper Ivan Provedel equalized with the last kick of the match.
In Glasgow, Lazio fought back to win. And last time, at home against Feyenoord, they looked more like last season’s team than ever. Immobile seized his opportunity superbly as the side defended admirably to hold on for a nail-biting victory.
A raucous atmosphere can be expected, with Lazio’s Black Friday ticket sales booming and fans having spent much of the season complaining about higher ticket prices.
The mood may be sour and the goals may have dried up, but there is still hope and belief that the Champions League can be the saving grace in a season that has so far provided few moments to enjoy.