Even Maurizio Sarri is at a loss to explain Lazio woes... as head coach stumped by form with his job on line ahead of Celtic clash

‘If I was judge this was my fault, I would leave.’

Maurizio Sarri’s comments mightiness not show nan full communicative astir nan sorry authorities Lazio are successful up of Celtic’s visit, but they do sketch a beardown outline.

Two-and-a-half years into his Roman reign, nan erstwhile Chelsea head is facing much outspoken critics than ever earlier aft 1 of his worst results yet.

Saturday’s 2-1 conclusion astatine nan hands of Salernitana was arsenic bad arsenic it gets successful Serie A correct now. Before kick-off, Pippo Inzaghi’s broadside hadn’t won a convention crippled each play and propped up nan table.

But nan consequence besides underlined issues that person plagued Lazio passim 2023/24: a inclination to flop against lower-table sides, a misfiring onslaught and an over- reliance connected a fistful of players.

‘The capacity of a batch of players isn’t astatine nan level of past season,’ Sarri said. ‘Maybe that is my fault, but we must each judge responsibility.

‘If I was nan Lazio owner, I would beryllium tough. I’m not a instrumentality of going into a ritiro [a punitive training camp] but I would do thing to break this inertia. The squad has mislaid characteristic and initiative; thing isn’t working.’

It’s existent that nan precocious barroom group past play has made this year’s stuttering commencement a bitter pill to swallow. Lazio person gone from a second-place finish, their highest since winning nan Scudetto successful 1999/2000, to nan bottommost half of nan table. Of their six convention defeats, 4 came against teams they were expected to hit pinch small fuss: Lecce, Genoa, Bologna and Salernitana.

Now, aft 13 matches, Lazio are 10 points worse disconnected than they were astatine this constituent past word and are disconnected to their astir miserable commencement to a convention run for a decade.

No wonderment nine president Claudio Lotito is leaving not-so-subtle messages successful nan media.

‘We request to spot a turnaround consecutive away, aliases heads will rotation very soon,’ he said.

The startling driblet successful capacity levels hasn’t conscionable near fans perplexed, though. Sarri, 1 of Italy’s astir tactically astute coaches, is besides baffled.

‘I don’t understand what is different astir maine compared to past year. If anything, I’m pushing them moreover more,’ he said.

‘If, complete nan adjacent fewer days, I determine that it’s my fault, I’ll beryllium nan first to return nan determination to time off by speaking pinch nan president.’

The main rumor plaguing Lazio is simply a chronic deficiency of goals. Although nan attacking trident that fired them to 2nd past play remains nan aforesaid — Ciro Immobile, Felipe Anderson and Mattia Zaccagni — nan nonaccomplishment of midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Al Hilal complete nan summertime has been sorely felt. Lazio person struggled to create successful nan absence of nan influential Serbian, a erstwhile Serie A midfielder of nan year, pinch Luis Alberto now shouldering nan load of imaginative responsibility.

Saturday’s travel to Salerno was nan first clip this play that Lazio were without Alberto, done suspension, and they collapsed to their worst consequence yet while failing to trial nan joint-worst defence successful nan division.

In their past six games, Lazio person scored 4 goals but only 1 has been from unfastened play — Immobile’s victor against Feyenoord successful nan past Champions League round. Last season’s occurrence was built connected a coagulated defence that kept a nine grounds 22 cleanable sheets and a ruthless onslaught that regularly outperformed xG.

Sarri managed to rediscover immoderate of that protect alloy earlier nan world break, conceding erstwhile successful 4 games, but an wounded to cardinal defender Alessio Romagnoli near them looking disorganised successful Salerno pinch a rarely-tested pairing of Patric and Mario Gila — who are now expected to commencement against Celtic too.

Despite nan crumbling foundations, Lazio person regularly proven themselves vulnerable connected large occasions.

Last season, they hit each their chap ‘big seven’ clubs successful Serie A, while, this year, they person beaten Napoli and Atalanta and claimed back-to-back European wins complete Celtic and Feyenoord.

There has been a shape of Lazio producing successful large matches, and fewer are bigger than Tuesday, pinch a guidance severely needed and a European run successful nan balance.

‘Lazio request to inquire themselves immoderate questions,’ erstwhile Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo told DAZN. ‘The lucifer against Celtic is truthful important.

‘In nan league, they are starting to region themselves from nan pack, and we aren’t seeing nan aforesaid levels arsenic past year.’

Midfielder Danilo Cataldi said aft nan Salernitana conclusion astir really Lazio ‘need to alteration people aliases other our objectives will beryllium unreachable’.

Despite large wind clouds gathering complete nan Stadio Olimpico, a triumph connected Tuesday would put Lazio into nan Champions League past 16 pinch a crippled to spare if it’s mixed pinch an Atletico Madrid triumph complete Feyenoord.

That would beryllium rather immoderate accomplishment for a broadside competing successful Europe’s top-tier title for only nan 2nd clip successful 15 years, and would bargain Sarri immoderate clip arsenic he tries to activity retired really to get this squad ticking successful Serie A.

‘I dream it’s a different communicative successful nan Champions League because nan mentality of nan squad successful nan convention worries me,’ Sarri said.

‘Sometimes they tin execute miracles successful nan Champions League. We will spot if we spell retired connected nan transportation against Celtic pinch a different mindset.’

They good might, though they will besides spell retired without 3 cardinal players: Romagnoli, injured centre-back Nicolo Casale and winger Zaccagni, who picked up an wounded successful Salerno.

Pedro is apt to return a spot up beforehand instead, an unwelcome show for Celtic fans aft his last-gasp heroics astatine Parkhead successful October. Crucially, Alberto will beryllium backmost successful midfield.

Sarri is correct astir Lazio’s different mentality successful this competition. The distracted complacency that has plagued them successful Serie A has not been connected show successful nan midweek games.

That stands successful stark opposition to erstwhile seasons, wherever it has often been nan different measurement around, Lazio performing amended astatine nan play and flopping regularly successful nan Europa League.

This year, however, isolated from being outplayed by Feyenoord successful Rotterdam, Lazio person been experts astatine uncovering a measurement connected nan continent. In nan unforgettable opener against Atletico, goalkeeper Ivan Provedel equalised pinch nan past footwear of nan game.

In Glasgow, Lazio fought backmost to win. And past clip out, astatine location to Feyenoord, they looked much for illustration nan broadside of past play than ever, Immobile superbly taking his chance erstwhile it came earlier nan broadside defended admirably to clasp onto a nervy win.

A raucous ambiance is to beryllium expected, pinch Lazio’s Black Friday summons waste going down a large wind pinch fans who person spent overmuch of nan play complaining astir higher summons prices.

The temper whitethorn beryllium sour and nan goals whitethorn person dried up, but location is still a dream and a belief that nan Champions League tin beryllium nan redeeming grace successful a play that has different produced fewer moments to savour truthful far.