How Maurizio Sarri’s tactics have allowed Lazio to boast the best defence in Serie A – scout report

One of the biggest criticisms of Maurizio Sarri in the past was his unwillingness to change. Sarri would have preferred something to break rather than bending to its will. 

At Chelsea, supporters didn’t really take to the Italian. His style was wonderful to watch at times, but the lack of defensive substance meant that the Blues were on the end of some hefty results, including a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City and an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Bournemouth. 

During his short-lived stint at Juventus, this issue reared its ugly head once again. The Bianconeri conceded an average of 1.1 goals per game and boasted the second-worst record out of the top four teams during the 2019/20 campaign.

This carried over once more into this next job which was in Rome with Serie A giants Lazio. In fact, Sarri’s inability to set up a defence worsened. 

By the end of the season, the Biancocelesti had one of the worst defensive records in Italy’s top-flight division and the second worst in the top ten, with an average of 1.53 goals conceded per game.

Lazio finished in a respectful fifth place last season, but improvements were desperately needed at the back if the side were to push for top four. 

This season, Sarri’s men have the best defence in Serie A and are second in the table. The same manager, and pretty much the same group of players, but an astonishingly different turnaround. So, what happened? 

This tactical analysis piece aims to identify how Sarri tweaked his tactics to ensure that Lazio are a different animal this season defensively.

*Note: This article was written before Lazios game versus Spezia on Friday night  14/04/2023*

Statistical breakdown 

Normally, in this section, we break down the different formations that a team have used. If Sarri had switched shape from the previous season, it would make sense to dedicate an entire section to explaining why he did and how it had positive effects on the team’s results. But he didn’t. 

Sarri has always been a proud proponent of the 4-3-3 and this time it’s absolutely no different. The conventional structure – including variations of it (4-1-4-1 and 4-5-1) – has seen the light of day in 93 percent of Lazio’s games this season, with little to no variety. 

What’s even more interesting is that Lazio’s statistics don’t make for great reading.  

When looking at the side’s pizza chart from this season, comparing the Biancocelesti to all other sides in Serie A, you would be forgiven for believing that Sarri’s team were mid-table. But instead, they’re second only to champions-elect Napoli.