Guendouzi on Sarri, Tudor and Lazio-Roma brawl with Dybala | OneFootball

Matteo Guendouzi admits he improved under Maurizio Sarri and was ‘not happy’ to see Igor Tudor at Lazio, but the passion of the Rome derby spilled out for Paulo Dybala. ‘It shouldn’t be done.’

The France international was something of a surprise arrival at the Stadio Olimpico in the summer of 2023, initially on loan from Olympique Marseille and making the move permanent for a total €14m plus bonuses.

“The objective is to do something important with Lazio and bring a trophy to the club,” Guendouzi told Free Foot’s YouTube channel.

“We have a great squad this season and I am sure we can do great things. When I arrived at Lazio to sign the contract, there were thousands of supporters waiting for me at the airport. This warmed my heart and made me really want to fight for them.

“My personality goes well with the fans, as there is a lot of enthusiasm and people live for the club. Even when things are not going well, you know that you can count on them.”

Despite only being at the club for under 18 months, the former Arsenal man is already working with his third Biancocelesti coach, as Sarri resigned in March, Tudor lasted only a couple of months and Marco Baroni arrived this summer.

It was a bit of a nasty surprise when Tudor was hired, because the coach had already clashed with Guendouzi at Marseille.

“I really appreciate Sarri’s style, because you always want to have possession and play football, to attack the opposition goal. I made a lot of tactical progress under him, then Igor Tudor arrived. His football is not the style I love the most, but you have to adapt to any tactical system you are placed in. I am sure it wasn’t a happy moment.”

Guendouzi enjoying life at Lazio

Guendouzi also reunited with former Marseille players Nuno Tavares and Samuel Gigot at Lazio this term.

“I am very happy here, it is going well, I enjoy myself and play in the Europa League. The France team is an objective and I always hope to be in the squad, as that is a childhood dream. I love for these moments, to prove what I can do and be ready when called upon.”

If there’s one fixture that lights up the Eternal City, it is the Derby della Capitale between Roma and Lazio, and the Frenchman got a little too feisty with Paulo Dybala last time.

“It’s an atmosphere I have rarely experienced anywhere else and I tried to do my best,” added Guendouzi.

“This derby goes beyond the pitch in terms of enthusiasm. I want to win this battle, you do it for the people who love this club. There are many things you can say on the pitch when the referee didn’t see, the adrenaline spills out, but that’s all part of the game.

“What happened with Dybala was he hit me, then saw they were winning and got a bit over the top. I didn’t like it and grabbed him on the face with my hand. It shouldn’t be done, but he then showed me the symbol on his shinpads that was synonymous with Argentina winning the World Cup.

“This is the derby and it doesn’t matter who you are up against, I will fight anyway.”