COMMENT: Maurizio Sarri’s romance with Lazio is over. And it ended in the worst way imaginable, with accusations and suspicions of betrayal, with no appreciable effects and with an increasingly bad courtship with the fans.
It was the worst ending for the Tuscan coach, especially as he had continually expressed his preference to remain at Lazio until the end of his career. He had the “commander” of all the fans who, after having a negative relationship with president Claudio Lotito, had met him with the coach.
Since his arrival at Lazio, Sarri has changed, he has immersed himself in the “laziness”, he has begun to constitute its values, to faithfully constitute the emotions of the fans. A symbolic word in this new edition of Sarri is similar to the challenge posed. Bayern Munich, when he said: “It’s smart to beat the Germans, but it’s more satisfying to win the derby (against Roma). “
It’s a word Sarri would never have uttered a few years ago, as evidenced by the words he uttered when he arrived, when he tried to “normalize” the game against Roma. Lazio replaced Sarri more than Sarri replaced Lazio, that’s probably the best summary of what happened with the Tuscan coach. It’s one thing that Sarri resigned, he wasn’t fired. It is no coincidence that, also to downplay his importance (it is no mystery that the former Chelsea and Napoli manager was not enthusiastic, (to say the least, about the club’s transfers), Lotito said: “Sarri has been betrayed”. By whom? By the players? These are not kind words, but the Biancoceleste president knows it.
At the last level of the Sarri era, some enthusiasts were convinced that some players, or even the entire team, were now playing “against” him. Or at least, to put it better, they didn’t paint as hard as they used to. . These things happen in football, but it is also true that those “easy” answers to the truth and to the difficulties of the coaches are widely used by the fans, just think of similar things that are said about José Mourinho and the last phase of his paintings. in Roms.
Sarri’s football, which has become a term in itself, “Sarrismo” at Lazio, was rarely seen. The Biancocelesti occasionally played on the counter-attack, exploiting the running qualities of Felipe Anderson and Mattia Zaccagni. One thing is for sure: Sarri is not malleable, he is not used to converting much tactically, and in fact one of the accusations of the fans who called for his dismissal was exactly this, they accused him of having “only one way of playing”, a unique pattern, that of never having attempted a three-man line in defence, Like what. Many expected to see a two-man attack, with Ciro Immobile and Taty Castellanos, but Sarri has opted for his signature scheme, without changing his mind.
He’s been steadfast, that’s been his strength, that’s been his hallmark, that’s why they call him the “Commander. “Consistent, loyal, stubborn, straight to the front. Here, this rigidity was perhaps the biggest challenge of his Lazio experience.
As for the appointments with the fans, talking to the representatives of the Biancoceleste fans, they all answered the same: “they were split 50/50”. There were those who would have stuck with Sarri at all costs, because according to them, it’s not their fault, but the team simply hasn’t prepared to fight for fourth place. And there were those who had been waiting for a long time to be fired so they could get back into their rhythm. It was Sarri who broke the deadlock, as a consistent guy like him struggles to stay in an environment where he feels unnecessary, despised and unsupported. Not sure you need me? Alright, I’ll get rid of your hair.
Fatal, who knows, would have been the chants of the fans who opposed him in the last match with Sarri on the bench. In any case, the news came out of nowhere: “Maurizio Sarri has resigned. “Curiously similar to what happened with Mourinho at Roma (even if the Portuguese were sacked). This news divides enthusiasts, in some cases causing wounds that will take time to heal. Roma opted to bet on Daniele De Rossi, legend and captain of the club, a selection that paid off and turned out to be successful, while Lazio, after thinking about the option of betting on some former players such as Tommaso Rocchi or Miroslav Klose, opted for Igor Tudor, a coach who has done very well in some of his previous experiences.
He is, indeed, a strong and charismatic man, although so is Sarri. Perhaps too much, some of his critics will say, but one thing is certain: no one would have imagined such an ending, an early farewell and in the midst of controversies, when Sarri said not long ago: “Here they made me feel important, here I have to prevent”, so he would have looked for Lazio to be his last team.
But it was not like that. Maurizio left Lazio and did so as a wounded man, perhaps betrayed, or at least feeling that way. It was not planned to end like this, but one thing is certain: it did not happen well, it ended worse, even Sarrismo did not die, at the most he was betrayed. The feelings felt on the trip, however, did not go away. The words of love spoken over the years will not be erased. Sarri enjoyed Lazio and the other inhabitants of Lazio enjoyed Sarri. The rest is history.
This article was first published on Tribal Football and was distributed with permission.
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