Soccer: Lazio confirm Sarri's exit, Martusciello takes over

(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 13 - Lazio on Wednesday confirmed that Maurizio Sarri is no longer in charge of the Rome team, after he quit on Tuesday following Monday's night's 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened Udinese.
    They also announced that his assistant Giovanni Martusciello has taken over as head coach.
    Monday's was Lazio's third consecutive league defeat and their fourth in all competitions following last week's 3-0 loss at Bayern Munich that saw them exit the Champions League in the last 16.
    It leaves them ninth in the Serie A standings with 40 points with 10 games to go, meaning their chances of qualifying for European competition next season are not good.
    Although there were chants at the end of Monday's match calling on the former Napoli, Chelsea and Juventus coach to sling his hook, many Lazio fans sided with Sarri in comments on social media after Monday's development, saying the person least to blame was paying for the slide in form.
    Many fans complained about the attitude of the players and, above all, blamed the club for failing to make the investments his style of play required on the transfer market.
    Sarri was also praised for resigning, rather than hanging on until he was dismissed, thus foregoing around five million euros in salary as his contract ran until 2025.
    The 65-year-old took over Lazio in 2021 and there were many ups during his stint in charge, as well as downs.
    These include a second-placed finish in Serie A last season and four victories in the derby against AS Roma. (ANSA).