Serie A side Lazio are set to close the deal with Maurizio Sarri for a return to the club’s touchline today.
According to a report by Gianluca Di Marzio, Lazio are set to welcome back Maurizio Sarri as head coach of the club with an agreement expected to be reached today.
Lazio are set to welcome back Maurizio Sarri as head coach of the club
The deal will be signed for two years with a salary of €2.7 million plus bonuses, and includes an option to extend for an additional year.
As a reminder, Sarri previously managed Lazio from 2021 to 2024. Under his guidance, Lazio claimed the Serie A silver medal in the 2022/2023 season.
The club then turned to Marco Baroni
After Sarri’s departure, Lazio appointed Igor Tudor, but the Croatian did not stay on for the 2024-25 season. The club then turned to Marco Baroni, who delivered promising results in the first half of the campaign but ultimately failed to secure a European qualification spot, finishing outside the Serie A top positions.
Despite Baroni holding a contract until 2026, Lazio are now expected to part ways with him in the coming days to clear the path for Sarri’s return. The club’s leadership is reportedly convinced that bringing back their former coach will help restore stability and re-energize the squad ahead of next season.
Sarri has been famous for his brand of football that he likes to inculcate in his teams, requiring every player to play aggressively and keep the intensity up, always allowing his team to press high up on the pitch.
What Exactly is Sarri-ball?
Out of all the managers in European football, few have had a more improbable, unexpected rise to the top than Maurizio Sarri. He never played at the professional level, he split his time between working as a banker and playing and managing an amateur side, but in 1999, he quit his day job and dedicated himself fully to coaching.
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Sarri worked his way up the Italian pyramid before getting his first big break at 56 years of age, replacing Rafa Benítez as Napoli manager.
It was there at Napoli, the city of his birth where Sarri became a ubiquitous name amongst football fans. From 2015 to 2018, Sarri’s Napoli became widely recognized for its unique style of play predicated upon verticality in possession, high-tempo passing, and circuit-based football. His team typically utilised third-man runs to either draw defenders out of position, provide a clear option for progression, or break through the opposition’s defensive block.
Spells at Chelsea and Juventus have proved to be far less fruitful
Whilst his subsequent spells at Chelsea and Juventus have proved to be far less fruitful, it’s only a matter of time before he gets his next opportunity at the top level. Let’s take a look at the core principles that have underpinned Sarri’s style of play and the common characteristics that comprise ‘Sarriball.’
