Petkovic delighted with ´ideal´ Lazio

Coach Vladimir Petkovic says the Lazio squad is nearly his ideal team after they thrashed Udinese 3-0 in Serie A on Tuesday.

Two first-half goals from Alvaro Gonzalez and Miroslav Klose, and a 59th-minute strike from Hernanes, sealed the win and boosted Lazio to fifth in the table.

Petkovic, however, said the team still had room for improvement after extending their unbeaten streak to five matches in all competitions.

“This team is now very close to my ideal team,” Petkovic said. “We’re trying to improve day by day.

“I’m happy with the team’s performance, we have started to keep possession for 90 minutes, but there is still room for improvement and we have to improve if we want to achieve the desired objectives.

“The team has been convincing because we have made less risks, we have scored three goals and dominated for 90 minutes.

“I don’t know whether this is Lazio’s best performance or whether we have had better performances in other matches, but I’m very happy and would like to congratulate my guys on tonight’s performance.”

Petkovic looked ahead to Sunday’s Serie A opponents Parma, who are seventh on the table after a 1-0 win over Inter Milan on Monday, and the Bosnian coach said it would a tough test for his team.

“In the next match we’ll be playing against Parma. Some weeks ago we had a decrease in our psycho-physical conditions and now other teams are undergoing the same situation,” he said.

“This is normal, the championship is long and, as I’ve said from the beginning, there will be six or seven teams battling until the end to win.”