Long interview with Sven Goran Eriksson on Lazio’s official website, the former Biancoceleste coach recalls the UEFA Cup match lost against Inter. “It’s nice to win, it’s easy to know how to behave after a victory. But after disappointments and defeats you have to keep calm as a coach: screaming or crying is useless. Losing is always difficult. The team didn’t have a winning mentality at the beginning. We won the first Italian Cup and then we had the UEFA Cup final against Inter. We celebrated the Italian Cup for a week, then when we took to the field against Inter we didn’t have the right head.
Years later we won a title against Lippi’s Inter and before the match he told me: ‘Sven, let me win. You have already won everything.’ I replied to him that we had played an important match a week before, I didn’t know how the players would respond. But at that moment Lazio was a winning team. I didn’t tell them anything special, they understood that the match had to be won and that was it.”
On Simeon.
I remember many things about May 14, 2000, but above all about Diego Simeone. He wanted to play, he was still in the locker room. If anyone tried to talk to him before the game, he wouldn’t respond. He was so still for 45 minutes (laughs, ed.)”.
On Mihajlovic.
“When I arrived at Sampdoria, Mihajlovic was a left attacker. But I didn’t see him dribble, he wasn’t quick. I put him as defender and he was mumbling. Then one time, when everyone was unavailable, I put him in central defense and from there he didn’t move. He came to hug me after every goal because the club had significantly increased his salary. He was one of the best central defenders in the world.”
