In a note on Wednesday June 5 Lazio communicated that Igor Tudor has resigned as manager. Rumours had started during the day that this was going to be the expected outcome following two days of speculation after Tudor, Angelo Fabiani and Claudio Lotito had long meetings with the manager and his agent, Anthony Seric, on Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
Tudor’s reign lasted 79 days in which he managed to set the Biancocelesti’s sail straight following a disastrous period and Maurizio Sarri’s resignation. In 9 league games Lazio earned 18 points obtaining an unexpected Europa League qualification. The Biancocelesti almost made the final of the Coppa Italia too, only losing out in the final minutes of the return match.
Lazio did not play badly under the Croat, certainly better than under Sarri this year but there were a few problems with the players, notably with Luis Alberto and Matteo Guendouzi. The Spaniard had been left out of the squad against Empoli and in the game against Inter played a dismal final 20 minutes. He was on the bench in the last game against Sassuolo and, even if it would most likely be his last, Tudor did not send him in for a last round of applause.
Guendouzi and Tudor had had words some years ago at Marseille, but it looked as if all was forgotten. It may not have been, since Guendo was not regularly in the Croatian's first eleven and rumour has it that the Frenchman asked the club to be sold during the summer transfer window. But now that Tudor has resigned he may change his mind.
It also sounds as if Tudor had asked the club for a complete revolution as far as players were concerned. These included all the ones that arrived last summer (Guendouzi, Taty Castellanos, Nicolò Rovella, Luca Pellegrini, Gustav Isaksen) plus some of the senators (Alessio Romagnoli, Danilo Cataldi). He was told that this was not going to happen and if he did not want to stay he would have to resign. And this is what he did.
What now?
The possible names for the job as Lazio’s new manager are either former players such as Miro Klose, Alessandro Nesta, Tommaso Rocchi and Sérgio Conceição, or Massimiliano Allegri former Juventus manager (though he may be a little too expensive), Marco Baroni, Verona manager who did so well this season, Ivan Juric, last season’s Torino manager. There are also rumours that Sarri might return. Jürgen Klopp is also jobless ….
In the next couple of days there should be an answer.
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