Following Monday’s 2-1 home defeat to Udinese, Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri allegedly resigned.
The 65-year-old has been in command of the Biancocelesti since the summer of 2021, and he has overseen 137 games, but his team is in poor form.
Lazio had already lost three consecutive games prior to Monday’s match against Udinese, losing to Fiorentina and AC Milan in Serie A before a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, which saw them eliminated 3-1 on aggregate from the last 16.
Lorenzo Lucca and Oier Zarraga scored for Udinese in a frantic four-minute span at Stadio Olimpico on Monday, sandwiching a Lautaro Giannetti own goal, sentencing Sarri’s team to their fourth consecutive defeat in all events.
No other side in the division has lost their previous three games, and the Biancocelesti, who also lost to Atalanta BC and Bologna in February, are now in ninth position in the table, eight points behind the top five and a staggering 35 behind champions Inter Milan.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sarri, whose contract at Stadio Olimpico expires in 2025, quickly emptied his locker and announced his resignation upon arriving at work on Tuesday morning.
Lazio were apparently taken aback by the timing of Sarri’s resignation, but club president Claudio Lotito must still accept the Italian’s departure before the former Chelsea and Juventus coach officially departs the club.
Lotito is anticipated to accept Sarri’s departure, which will leave the 65-year-old with 65 victories, 30 draws, and 42 losses throughout his tenure, averaging 1.64 points per game.
Sarri guided Lazio back into the Champions League with a second-place Serie A finish in the 2022-23 season, 16 points behind champions Napoli, but he has yet to bring a trophy to the Biancocelesti fans.
If Lotito approves Sarri’s departure, Lazio will be expected to select an interim manager until the conclusion of the season, with former striker Miroslav Klose reportedly being considered as a contender.
The 45-year-old German retired in 2016 following a five-year career in sky blue and took on his first managerial post with Austrian club SCR Altach last year, although he left midway through the season with only five wins from 24 games.
Another former forward, Tommaso Rocchi, who formerly managed Lazio’s minor teams, is being considered, as is Igor Tudor, though the latter would want a multi-year contract rather than a short-term position until June.
Leave a Reply