Maurizio Sarri won’t be on Lazio’s bench tonight, but he has decided to stay with the team until the end of his contract, which expires in the summer of 2025, and after that, “whoever survives will talk.” The head coach didn’t just send a message to Lazio president Claudio Lotito about his intentions, but also to the players: the aim is fifth place in Serie A, and since he’ll remain at the helm of the club for another year, anyone trying to sabotage the team’s efforts will be removed. The coach of the Roman club has appeared quite anemic and disheartened in the past few weeks, but in the last ten days, a sense of pride has emerged in him, leading him to be hailed as the footballing Che Guevara. The perceived injustices of referee Di Bela and then the sharp criticism from Luciano Moggi literally infuriated Sarri.The fall of Spanish club football – Italians can overtake them for the first time in this century!The Tuscan coach avoids journalists whenever possible and rarely gives statements. On Friday, he personally called Lazio’s media team and requested to be interviewed by the club’s journalist. Former Juventus executive Luciano Moggi’s words about Sarri’s time with Juventus struck him deeply, from the acknowledgment that he narrowly missed the Scudetto despite having the strongest team by far, to the insinuation that if he had stayed in Continassa, Juventus wouldn’t have fallen into Serie B, but neither would they have been far from the relegation battle. Sarri’s response to Moggi was brutal. Aside from reminding the former “Lazio man” that he was banned for life from football functions, Sarri emphasized that the only man in Juventus’ centuries-old history to send them to Serie B was Moggi.This season’s Serie A is crazy 👀 Udinese have lost 9 games – the same amount as 6th-placed Atalanta, and less than 9th-placed Lazio.Yet, they are 17th and just 1 point above the relegation zone with 3 wins and 15 draws! 3 points separate 13th & 19th. pic.twitter.com/0GsN0Ob8mD— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) March 11, 2024 Former Juventus executive also insinuated that Sarri had a plot to leave Juventus for Napoli, and to prove that his words are not true, Sarri commitment to stay until the end of his contract at Lazio. Last season, Le Aquile made a triumphant gallop to second place in Serie A after being eliminated from the Conference League, and there’s hope that this scenario could repeat itself. Of course, with a different aim: fifth place, which will likely secure a spot in the Champions League.High tension at Lazio! Sarri blames the board, and the president replies angrilyApart from Sergej Milinković-Savić, who left for Saudi Arabia and left a big hole in the team, Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson, and Ciro Immobile delivered significantly weaker performances this season, and this is not a coincidence. Tonight’s match is a do-or-die for both the hosts and the guests. Lazio needs a win to stay in the race for European places, while Udinese needs it to distance themselves from the relegation zone. In the last three years, Udinese has never lost to Lazio at the Olimpico, with one win and two losses. Moreover, they are the team with the most draws in the top five leagues in Europe. Interestingly, Udinese has suffered fewer defeats than Lazio in this championship, and even more interestingly, Friulians have achieved all three victories against teams currently in the Champions League zone (Milan, Juve, and Bologna). Compared to last year, Lazio has 12 points less after 27 matches. This is a direct consequence of four losses in the last six matches and a very small number of shots on goal. The heavenly blues are at the bottom of the Serie A teams list in terms of shots towards the opponents’ goal. It doesn’t help Lazio’s cause that the Italian rugby team played a match against Scotland on Saturday as part of the Six Nations tournament, and it rained all day on Sunday in Rome. Knowing Sarri and his way of thinking, it wouldn’t be surprising if he complains about the Olimpico pitch.SERIE A – ROUND 28FridayNapoli – Torino 1-1 (0-0)/Kvaratskhelia 61 – Sanabria 65/SaturdayCagliari – Salernitana 4-2 (2-0)/Lapadula 12, Gaetano 40, Shomurodov, 51, 76 – Kastanos 56, Maggiore 58/Sassuolo – Frosinone 1-0 (0-0)/Thorstvedt 58/Bologna – Inter 0-1 (0-1)/Bisseck 37/Genoa – Monza 2-3 (0-2)/Gudmundsson 52, Vitinha 68 – Pessina 8, Mota 18, Maldini 79/SundayLecce – Hellas Verona 0-1 (0-1)/Folorunsho 17/AC Milan – Empoli 1-0 (1-0)/Pulisic 41/Juventus – Atalanta 2-2 (0-1)/Cambiaso 66, Milik 70 – Koopmeiners 35, 75/Fiorentina – Roma 2-2 (1-0)/Ranieri 18, Mandragora 69 – Aouar 58, Llorente 90+4/Monday22:45: (1.95) Lazio (3.50) Udineze (4.40)***odds are subject to change***
