Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri has used Liverpool and manager Jurgen Klopp as a prime example for how a club should look to build under a new coach, via quotes by TuttoMercatoWEB.
Sarri joined the Biancocelesti this summer for his return to the dugout after a year out from leaving Juventus. The Stadio Olimpico natives have enjoyed some success under the Italian with wins over Inter Milan and Roma, but have also lost to Napoli, Juventus and AC Milan.
Defeat to Napoli and Juventus in their last two games have seen Lazio fall down the Serie A standings. But Sarri does not believe results are cause for concern yet as it is still early days.
Instead, Sarri points to how Liverpool and Klopp took time to adapt, before going on to win ‘everything’. The Reds ended the German’s first Premier League season eighth in 2015/16 before back-to-back fourth-place finishes. They have since finished no lower than third.
The Anfield outfit also won the title in ‘19/20, the Champions League in ‘18/19 and reached the final in ‘17/18. But domestic cup success still alludes the Merseysiders under Klopp.
Sarri lauds Klopp and Liverpool as example for Lazio to follow
Sarri now views Liverpool and Klopp as a prime example for how a club should build if they change manager, as he sets out to bring success back to Lazio over years not in an instance.
“You have to have clear ideas,” Sarri said. “When Liverpool took Klopp, in the first year he finished 12th and the second [season in] eighth, then they won everything. I don’t think I’m like him, he’s much better than me.
“In my opinion, you need to sit down to plan two or three transfer sessions, not stand at the window to find individual opportunities. By doing this, in two, three windows you build a serious team.”
Lazio kept to a limited transfer spend in the summer market as they signed the first parts of Sarri’s puzzle. Felipe Anderson joined from West Ham for just £2.5m, while former Chelsea winger Pedro reunited with his former Stamford Bridge boss in a free transfer from Roma.
The Biancocelesti chief will hope his additions set the right foundations for his tenure at the Stadio Olimpico. Lazio also have those aims as they look to keep the 62-year-old long-term.
Reports by La Lazio Sia Monoi note the Serie A side could already extend his €5.5m-a-year (£90k-a/w) contract to 2025. A considerably lower wage than the £16m-a-year (£308k-a/w) Liverpool pay Klopp, with the German the second-best paid coach in the Premier League.
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