Lotito e il caso Rossi, "Il problema non esiste" - Gazzetta

Delio Rossi maintains that a comment he made to the press after yesterday's game was misinterpreted. He said "Non so se resto" (I don't know if I will stay), but Lazio president Claudio Lotito has clarified this:

Mi ha riferito di aver solo detto che il suo contratto scade nel 2009 e che dopo si vedrà

"He told me that he only meant that his contract finishes in 2009 and after that we will see."

Lotito is confident that Rossi is not going anywhere right now, and also believes that his tenure at Lazio will be long. He is willing to admit, however, that two years is a long time and that other opportunities may arise by then. He did state that Lazio is not looking for another coach at this time. (And why should they, Rossi has done so well!)

"nonno Ballotta" - La Repubblica

Rossi, senza gli infortunati Peruzzi e Mauri, ha dato fiducia a nonno Ballotta.

"Rossi, without the injured Peruzzi and Mauri, has put his trust in grandpa Ballotta"

Yeah, he's old, but that's kinda harsh.

Rossi: "La Champions è un'impresa" - Gazzetta

Delio: "Champions is a great feat"

Se mi avessero detto che a due giornate dalla fine avrebbe raggiunto la Champions avrei firmato col sangue. Solo il tempo dirà quello che fatto questo gruppo. Mi dispiace per gli altri che parlano di classifica virtuale, anche perché anche noi potremmo parlare della nostra posizione al netto della penalizzazione. Sembra che si voglia sminuire ciò che abbiamo costruito, e questo non è giusto. Per me i ragazzi si sono comportati benissimo.

"If I could have said that two days from the end of the season we would have achieved a spot in Champions, I would have signed in blood. Only time will tell what this group can do. I'm disappointed at others who talk about a "virtual" classifica, because we too can talk about our position after penalization. It seems that they want to diminish what we've achieved, and that's not fair. As far as I'm concerned, the boys have carried themselves very well."

GRANDE LAZIO! GRANDE DELIO!

Inter 4-3 Lazio enough for Champions

Lazio suffered a tough loss on the road to Inter today. After going ahead 0-2 in the first five minutes on goals from Pandev and Mutarelli, Hernan Crespo scored twice to bring Inter back level. With less than five minutes left in the first half, Christian Ledesma put Lazio back in front with an arcing direct free kick which banked off the inside of the upright and into the net. Lazio couldn't maintain their lead, though. In the last ten minutes of the second half, Crespo earned a hat trick to tie the match again. After Sebastian Siviglia was sent off, Marco Materazzi scored the game-winner against Lazio at ten men.

Elsewhere around Serie A, Empoli lost 2-0 at Siena, guaranteeing Lazio at least the fourth position in the classifica and a spot in Champions League qualifying. Torino clawed upward in the relegation battle by defeating Roma 0-1 at the Olimpico. Milan's 1-1 draw against Catania (at a neutral site in Bologna) keeps Lazio in the third position for now.

Ancora in porta Ballotta - Gazzetta

Ballotta to start at Inter
Marco Ballotta will be in goal tomorrow against Inter. Angelo Peruzzi is unable to play due to continuing problems with his right wrist and hand. Peruzzi will not even be on the bench for the match.