How far away the season of the legendary 2nd place or that of Ciro Immobile’s European golden boot seems… After the chaotic end under Marco Baroni, the summer was supposed to mark a new beginning for Lazio, but it quickly took on the appearance of uncertainty. The Roman club began the summer market with a recruitment ban imposed by the Italian federation which paralyzed any attempt at sporting transition. The return of coach Maurizio Sarri was not enough to dispel doubts. The former Napoli and Chelsea technician had agreed to return in an already unstable climate, without even knowing the extent of the financial and administrative difficulties surrounding Lazio. Moreover, the 67-year-old tactician had even threatened to slam the door even before the start of the season. The summer thus took place in a form of worrying immobility, while the squad already seemed to lack depth. Behind the scenes, discussions between Sarri and President Claudio Lotito have gradually become tense over the months. Differences over squad management and planning for the future transfer window have fueled a divide between the coach and management. The latest episode, linked to the way of managing players who have arrived on the market, has reignited already well-established tensions. Despite an authorization to recruit, the winter has only accentuated this impression of imbalance in the sporting strategy of the Roman club.
The January transfer window was marked by numerous movements in both directions, giving the image of a workforce in full restructuring. Lazio relied on the arrivals of Dutch midfielder Kenneth Taylor from Ajax, Serbian striker Petar Ratkov and promising Polish leader Adrian Przyborek, while the Biancocelesti also obtained the loan of Daniel Maldini. But these arrivals did not compensate for the significant losses recorded at the same time. The departure of Argentine center forward Taty Castellanos to England and that of French midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi to Turkey deprived Lazio of two major executives of its backbone. Several other players have left the club, sometimes discreetly like Matias Vecino (128 matches), accentuating the impression of a sporting project in permanent transition. If the sales made it possible to bring some money back into the Roman coffers, they also weakened the balance of a team already in crisis. On the pitch, Lazio gradually sank into a crisis of results which relegated it to the soft underbelly of Serie A. The Roman team is now hovering around 11th place. A sacrilege for a team used to aiming for European ambitions which nevertheless accompanied the start of the season and other previous campaigns. The future of Maurizio Sarri now appears to be hanging on the answers that the club will provide him regarding the sporting and financial resources for next season, at a time when the low-cost profiles of Gianluca Grassadonia and Daniel Ledesma appeal to Lotito for the post-Sarri era.
Claudio Lotito more isolated than ever
And as if that wasn’t enough, a controversy added fuel to the fire. A telephone conversation attributed to president Claudio Lotito leaked on social media and quickly ignited debate around the club. In this exchange with a supporter, Lotito openly criticizes Maurizio Sarri’s management of the squad, accusing him of poorly exploiting certain players and creating tension in the locker room. “I don’t think there are any negotiations going on regarding contract extensions. It’s just an impression, not a certainty. You have to ask the club. If they take the same position as in January, that’s their choice. They decided that the transfer market is theirs, and that’s it. The president said he was in charge of the transfer window and am I the one blocking the transfers? I don’t know anything about it. Unfortunately, the team is getting used to this sad situation within the stadium. Even tonight we feel that with 45,000 spectators we could have won the match.”explained the Italian coach. The manager mentions in particular the cases of Castellanos or Guendouzi to illustrate the relational difficulties between the coach and several executives of the team. The episode reinforced the image of a divided club, where internal quarrels seem to take precedence over sporting stability. The controversy also extended to ultra groups and to former coach Marco Baroni, targeted in the president’s remarks, sometimes in insulting remarks. A situation that has become particularly flammable around Lazio.
As a result of this, the stands sound very hollow in Rome. Indeed, the divide between management and supporters has transformed into a real protest movement. A significant part of the Biancoceleste public chose to boycott the matches played at the Stadio Olimpico in order to protest against the management of Claudio Lotito for several weeks. The popular revolt materialized in particular during the Coppa Italia semi-final against Atalanta, played in an almost unreal atmosphere in front of largely sparse stands. “What can Lazio do to bring its supporters together again? I don’t want to go into details. I respect everyone. I think we need to use common sense, and that’s what I hope for everyone. We would have liked to see a full stadium tonight, but there is nothing new under the sun. We must honor all our commitments, we are here, and it is normal that the players fight every day. What can be done to bring supporters together again? I don’t want to go into details, I think we need to use common sense on everyone’s part. A semi-final is important, and playing it is not an easy task”said Lazio sporting director Angelo Fabiani. At the heart of this movement is the Curva Nord, the historic core of Laziale support, which calls for lasting mobilization against the current presidency. A petition titled “Letter to President Lotito” has already collected tens of thousands of signatures, a sign of deep discontent which goes beyond the simple sporting framework.
