Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri admits they were sluggish for their 1-1 draw with Monza on Saturday.

A Ciro Immobile penalty won by Mattia Zaccagni had Lazio ahead before Roberto Gagliardini equalised.

Sarri later said: "Up until their equaliser, we were passive and handed the game to our opponents, so at that stage we did deserve the jeers. After that, it opened up and we had our chances too, hitting the woodwork and wasting opportunities with the goalkeeper out of action.

“Clearly, many things aren't working well at the moment, but as we said before the match, it is difficult to think we can just emerge from this negative moment quickly. We ought to do more, but we're struggling at the moment."

He also said: “It is strange and we need to evaluate what is not going right in the environment around the team. I think the big problem after certain problems is recovering the mental energy, because there is a significant drop after a big match and it is not easy to recharge the motivation and determination after a couple of days.

"It must also not be an alibi, because we did everything to qualify for the Champions League, so now we cannot just abandon every match that comes after those fixtures."