Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri resigns after four straight losses

Maurizio Sarri, manager of Serie A's Lazio, has decided to step down from the position, the club announced on Wednesday. His assistant, Giovanni Martusciello, will temporarily charge the first team.

The team suffered their fourth straight loss when Udinese beat them 2-1 at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on Monday. Before that, Lazio lost to AC Milan 1-0 at home and to Fiorentina 2-1 on the road in Serie A, and Bayern Munich 3-0 at Allianz Arena in the second-leg game of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. This loss resulted in their elimination from the tournament.

Lazio has faced challenges for over a month. On January 19, Inter Milan walked over them, 3-0, in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinals, and they lost five of their past eight Serie A games. They are currently in ninth place with 40 points in the Italian top league after 28 games. Not only are they likely to finish the 2023-24 season with no trophy, but the club may not appear in any European competition next season.

Sarri was appointed as Lazio's manager in June 2021. They played 137 games under him, with 65 wins, 30 draws and 42 losses. The club came in fifth in Serie A during the 2021-22 campaign and second last season. They competed in the Champions League for the first time in four years this season and made the knockout stage as No. 2 of Group E behind Atletico Madrid.

Though Lazio managed an upset against Bayern Munich 1-0 at home in the first-leg game of the Champions League Round of 16, they didn't put up any decent resistance in the second-leg game on the road.

Lazio will visit Stadio Benito Stirpe to face Frosinone in their next Serie A game on Saturday.