Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri takes sly aim at Supercoppa Italiana

Lazio are taking part in the Supercoppa Italiana this week but manager Maurizio Sarri has taken aim at the tournament’s value.

The Supercoppa Italiana this season involves four teams and a mini tournament which has two semi-finals and one final taking place, with all the games taking place in Saudi Arabia. Lazio, Fiorentina, Napoli and Inter are all in Riyadh, with La Viola to take on the Partenopei later today. Sarri’s Lazio take on Inter tomorrow.

But it doesn’t seem as if Sarri is too reliant on the Supercoppa Italiana and he stated in the pre-game press conference that he prioritises tournaments that help the club financially, signalling that the Supercoppa Italiana doesn’t do that.

He told reporters: “All trophies give satisfaction, for the team, for the staff, for the club. However, I said that there is a clear distinction between those that also help economically and those that are of no use.”

Sarri has been critical about the number of games footballers play in modern-day football and he stated that he has made his views about the tournament clear in the past, but that will not stop him from taking it seriously.

“I have expressed my ideas on the competition, but this does not affect the motivation. We are facing one of the strongest teams in Europe at the moment. We have a 30-35% chance of passing. They are stronger, but we can fight for it. I don’t sign for a draw and going to penalties. If it were enough to coach them on penalties, It would be easy.”

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN