The new Lazio Rome coach Igor Tudor is delighted to reunite with French international Matteo Guendouzi, whom he already worked with in Marseille and who has “an extraordinary mentality”.
“I haven’t seen Matteo yet, but he’s a winner, he has this extraordinary mentality that you need in a club like this, especially in a city like Rome which is very demanding,” he said. Tudor told Lazio TV on Wednesday.
Since his arrival in Rome at the beginning of September, from OM, Guendouzi, summoned by Didier Deschamps for France’s two friendly matches, was essential in the eyes of Maurizio Sarri, who fielded him 25 times in the league (22 as incumbent) before resigning last week.
Under the direction of Tudor at OM, during the 2022-23 season, the Croatian’s only one at the head of the Marseille club, Guendouzi lost his starting status and saw his playing time and his role drop significantly.
Tudor, who had been without a club since his departure from OM, assured that he had not hesitated before agreeing to coach Lazio, 9th in Serie A, with only nine days of the championship remaining. to argue.
“Coming to coach a prestigious club like Lazio, everyone wants to do it, it’s a prestigious team, with good players, with special supporters, we can’t not accept a challenge like that,” he said. he explained.
For his first match at the helm of Lazio on March 30, Tudor will return to Juventus, the club where he spent a good part of his playing career and which he coached.
He will also meet Juve in the semi-final of the Italian Cup, the last chance for Lazio to win a trophy this season.
“I think we can do great things, we have to start working, with intelligence, because I come after a coach who advocated a certain type of football. I have my style of play, it will take a little adaptation and time. I have a healthy group, which works well, it is up to me to transmit the ideas I have in mind as quickly as possible,” he explained.
“I am someone who is never happy and always wants to make things better,” Tudor concluded.
