Sarri Reveals Why Gila Was Sent Off, Opens Up on Lazio Star’s Struggles & Isaksen Injury

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·8 décembre 2025

Sarri Reveals Why Gila Was Sent Off, Opens Up on Lazio Star’s Struggles & Isaksen Injury

Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri reveals what Mario Gila told the referee to receive his marching orders against Bologna.

Lazio & Bologna Share the Spoils

The two sides ended the first half on equal terms, with Jens Odgaard swiftly responding to Gustav Isaksen’s opener. After the hour mark, the Biancocelesti took control of the action, but were denied by Federico Ravaglia, who produced four remarkable stops. However, Lazio’s dominance reached a sudden halt when Gila got himself sent off.

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Mario Gila Sees Red

The Spaniard caught Santiago Castro’s foot, but wasn’t happy with Michael Fabbri’s decision to award a foul to the Argentine striker, and ended up talking himself into trouble. Luckily, the 10-man Aquile managed to hold on until the final whistle, keeping the score 1-1.

Mario Gila getting sent off (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

In his post-match press conference (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Sarri insisted that Gila didn’t insult the referee, but only criticized his work.

He didn’t insult the official, he just told him he didn’t think he was a top-notch referee, without offending him personally. Usually referees turn around and walk away in those situations, but he’s a bit more sensitive than others.

Sarri then offered updates on Isaksen, who was replaced by Matteo Cancellieri at the interval.

It’s a strain in the adductor. We hope it’s nothing serious, and that it’s just muscle fatigue and not an injury.

Th 66-year-old also admitted that Nuno Tavares is struggling in the defensive phase after another poor showing. The Portuguese left-back only lasted 45 minutes before being hauled off for Adam Marusic at the break.

This isn’t something we discovered today. He’s devastating when he runs with the ball but has these difficulties at the back. He has trouble maintaining attention and concentration for long periods of time like defenders are supposed to do, and now he’s struggling. Did I expect this version last summer? Generally speaking, yes, his characteristics were well defined. He’s exceptional when he starts off the ball and less technically skilled when he’s out of action. He’s physically powerful and could defend better.

Taty Castellanos Still Far from Optical Form

Taty Castellanos has recently made his return from injury, but as Sarri explained, he remains reluctant to shoot, as he’s still working on regaining his best form.

He’s not aiming for the goal because he’s lacking acceleration at the moment, which is why he saw a defender on his back and chose to pass the ball.

Sarri Denies Striker Issues

The former Napoli, Chelsea and Juventus boss insisted that strikers had often found success under his tutelage, evoking some of the biggest names he coached in his career.

Are my strikers facing difficulties? Perhaps they are now, but I can also give you a list of Higuain’s 36 goals, Mertens’ 29, Hazard’s 22, and Ronaldo’s 32. These are my experiences with center-forwards before arriving at Lazio, after which Immobile scored 27 goals. It’s not our way of playing football that doesn’t allow the center-forward to score. Castellanos isn’t at his best right now, Noslin isn’t a pure striker, and Dia is halfway there. I liked Dia’s performances in the last two games. The team has doubled its statistics in terms of creation, overall shots, and shots on target. We’re on the right path.

Ciro Immobile’s Tribute

Finally, Sarri reserved a few words of praise for Ciro Immobile, who was honored at the Stadio Olimpico despite arriving as an opponent.

I left Ciro in our locker room chatting with his other former teammates. He’s at home here, so this is normal. I’m happy because I saw a nice tribute, he scored 207 goals for Lazio, so I’m pleased he got his homage. This was the right thing to do.