Having spent the 2019/2020 campaign with Juventus, manager Maurizio Sarri left after securing 34 wins in 52 games and basically had a year off, until he returned with Lazio in the summer of 2021.
The 65 year old’s spell at the Stadio Olimpico was mixed, but relatively successful by most measures. 137 games in, he had overseen 65 wins and 30 draws, and in his second season at the club, he led them into second place in the Serie A table which was their best Italian league finish since they took the title outright back in the 1999/2000 campaign.
However, the year of 2023/24 had turned into a problematic one for their gaffer, and on Wednesday of this week, it was confirmed that he had resigned from his position at the club having suffered a fifth defeat in the last six gams across all competitions.
Their 2-1 home defeat on Monday by Udinese left the club way down in ninth place in the table, and they are now seven points shy of the last European qualification place and naturally, their basic aim for the season would have been Europe and the Champions League.
Incidentally, only last week they were knocked out of the Champions League by German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich, so the pressure had been building and in offering his resignation, Sarri must have obviously felt that he was no longer the man to turn their form around and lead them further into the future.
With his resignation being confirmed, the club announced that his assistant manager, Giovanni Martusciello, had now been placed in interim charge, but presumably there will be a serious managerial search underway by their board as 52 year old Martusciello would not be a natural candidate in the eyes of many to take over fully.
He may well see out the current season now given where we are in the calendar football year as they do their due diligence on a new gaffer, but Lazio would no doubt rather have a new man in place quickly as irrespective of what now happens this year when it comes to European qualification and their final league position, a quicker appointment means a new man has longer to assess the team, their weaknesses in his own eyes and where he wants to prioritise strengthening over the summer. Not least, to begin to get his ideas and wants across ahead of the pre season campaign beginning.
Who that new man in the dug out might be remains open to wild speculation right now, but I’d imagine I Biancocelesti will appoint sooner rather than later here.
