Mourinho And Sarri’s Taunting Remarks Pour Fuel On The Roman Derby

Rome is a city notorious for political mind games and eternal battles. Transposed into the world of Italian football, this is the Derby della Capitale – Lazio versus Roma – a duel which ended months ago in a dressing room blowup between Lazio president Claudio Lotito and Roma boss José Mourinho.

Since then, not much has changed. The psychological warfare for Sunday’s rematch has already begun, with Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri declaring that his team had “gone to war” in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), alleging Roma’s UEFA Europa League (UEL) game against Slavia Prague to be a mere “friendly match.”

Incidentally, Roma lost it 2-0.

“Perhaps the difference between a coach who has won 26 titles and another that has barely won anything is exactly that kind of mentality,” Mourinho hit back with when talking to APNews.

The rivalry on the bench

There’s never a dull moment when these two adversaries face off. Sarri, like Mourinho, arrived in 2021 and has ensured that his side has finished higher in the Serie A standings over the past four seasons, qualifying the Laziali for the UCL with their second-place league finish in 2022-23. Keeping score, Mourinho, unlike Sarri, has won silverware at Roma, beating Feyenoord in the 2021-22 UEFA Conference League final. Both share common ground, winning multiple trophies at English Premier League outfit, Chelsea FC.

But that’s considered ancient history. For now, Rome is where the heart is, and Sarri has beaten Mourinho four times in their three previous meetings, achieving the derby double over their neighbours for the first time in 11 years.

The rivalry on the field

A victory will magnify Lazio’s midweek UCL success over Feyenoord. With a big showing against Roma, captain Ciro Immobile, who, against the Dutch champions became the first Lazio player to score 200 goals, can prove that Italy coach Luciano Spalletti was wrong to leave him out of the national squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia that will take place five days in Rome.

Technically, this is a Lazio home game, the Eagles unbeaten in the past six when dubbed as the home side, a run that dates back to 2016. Roma must avoid defeat. For Mourinho, the optics of a third consecutive defeat to such a bitter rival will undoubtedly be recognized as another brutta figura – in this case, meaning making a fool of yourself – an unwanted legacy that would evolve into a Tifo reminder at every derby forever more.

This time, things may be different. The former Manchester United manager bolstered his attack by signing Romelu Lukaku in the summer. Comparing this season to last, Roma has scored nine more goals (22) after the same number of games played (11), with the Belgian superstar’s six-goal haul spread out across five different matches. Every time Big Rom has scored this season in Serie A, Roma has remained undefeated.

At the last showdown seven months ago, Mourinho was banned from the touchline for disciplinary reasons, relegated to watching his side lose 1-0 from the team bus. However, the Special One wasn’t prevented from accessing the dressing room and found himself in a heated scuffle with the meddling Lotito, the Lazio president involved in breaking up the tussle between Biancoceleste defender Alessio Romagnoli and Giallorosso antagoniser, Gianluca Mancini.

The form guide

Lazio and Roma both got off to a shaky start at the beginning of the season. Sarri’s men lost the opening two fixtures while Roma was stunned by Antonio Candreva’s magical brace on match day one, the former Lazio and Italy midfielder rolling back the years to hit his old enemy where it hurts. Despite Mourinho dropping points against Salernitana, the reawakened Andrea Belotti also scored twice in that match and has served as a solid backup for Paolo Dybala and Lukaku since.

More recently, Lazio put together a string of victories but were shocked 1-0 by Bologna last weekend. Meanwhile, Roma looked certain losers when trailing at home to Lecce before Sardar Azmoun and Lukaka rescued all three points with two goals in second-half stoppages. Azmoun became the first Iranian to score in Serie A while LuLa nabbed his 63rd top-flight goal in Italy, 57 of those scored for former employer Inter Milan.

Both clubs are connoisseurs of late drama. Since Mourinho’s arrival, the Giallorossi have scored 19 goals from the 90th minute of play with Lazio in second place (15). Merely finding the back of the net would be an improvement for Roma, who haven’t scored in this fixture since mid-March 2022, a sizzling Lorenzo Pellegrini direct free kick. Despite the addition of Paolo Dybala from Juventus, Roma hasn’t produced one since.

Conquest is everything

There’s so much at stake at the Olimpico. Just one point separates the sides in the Campionato with Roma ahead for now. In recent seasons, Lazio has had the upper hand, winning the last two without conceding a goal, and could make history by making it three successive clean-sheet victories – a club first.

Since the 1994-95 season, the Roman derby has intensified into a spicy rendezvous producing 38 red cards in 58 matches, the most of any Serie A matchup, including three in the last encounter. In March, Roma’s Roger Ibanez and Bryan Cristante were sent from the pitch alongside Lazio’s Adam Marusic, a chaotic finale to a tight victory for Sarri.

The hysteria surrounding all possible outcomes has consumed the nation’s capital. Lazio, without Sergej Milinković-Savić for the first time in nine seasons, would leap over Roma in the standings with a win. With defeat, it would equal 2015-16’s horrific start of six losses in twelve matches. However, not since November 2021 has Lazio been kept goalless for two matches in a row. Leading Serie A with six headed goals, expect Roma to attack aerially while Lazio, one of three sides yet to score one, pursues slick transition at ground level.

Get ready for division, fury and press conferences consumed by satire and burlesque. Yes, Rome is a city acknowledged for bringing law and order but don’t expect too much of that at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening. Buon appetito.