Simone Inzaghi admitted Lazio are no longer thinking about the Scudetto after a 2-1 loss to Lecce. ‘Our dream is to qualify for the Champions League.’
The Aquile suffered their second consecutive defeat, but while the 3-0 with Milan was to some degree expected in the absence of Ciro Immobile and Felipe Caicedo, this 2-1 at relegation battlers Lecce was an upset.
“The problem is that we returned from the lockdown with injuries,” Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.
“This limited our ability to rotate the squad, some played today as well who weren’t at their best. We lost three games in 15 days, after going without defeat for many months, so that’s not a coincidence.
“I can only thank the team for all they have done. It’s natural there’s a disappointment considering how well we were doing before the break, as some of the absentees really would’ve made a big difference today. The performance arrived despite many players being only at 50 percent.
“Our dream must continue, which is to qualify mathematically for the Champions League. We hope to achieve it as soon as possible, but that is our only objective.”
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Lazio had started so well after the lockdown, taking an early 2-0 lead away to Atalanta, but fumbling that for a 3-2 defeat seemed to shake their confidence irretrievably.
“We did feel the effects, despite an excellent first-half performance,” confirms Inzaghi.
“Then again, we could’ve done with players in their best shape. Now we have to look forward, as there are still points for us to secure our target.”