Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri was left frustrated after their Supercoppa Italiano semifinal defeat to Inter Milan.
Inter won 3-0 on Friday night thanks to goals from Marcus Thuram, Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty and Davide Frattesi.
“It was clear within four or five minutes. It is clear there is a big difference between us and them, but at the same time the difference is not as large as it appeared to be tonight. We cannot underestimate the degree to which we helped them," Sarri told Mediaset after a 3-0 defeat.
“This is a team that has always suffered from blackouts after a series of positive results. It irritates me to lose this way. You can lose against Inter, who proved themselves a team of great quality and with perhaps one of the best midfields in Europe, but we have to accept our very large share of the blame for this performance.
"I had the sensation that we were late in everything, from their counter-attacks to our moves. I saw a team that to be honest looked afraid at the start. We made mistakes at the slightest bit of pressure, we were timorous in attack and sluggish in defence. We covered very little of the passing channels, so were often stuck halfway.
“The lack of movement from the defenders and the midfielders made it incredibly difficult. When things are done with a bland tempo and always late, that suggests either we are afraid or we are mentally soft."
