Final place leaves Reja bitter

A ‘very bitter’ Edy Reja has rued Lazio’s narrow failure to secure a Champions League berth on the final day of the 2010/11 Serie A season.

Lazio defeated lowly Lecce 4-2 on Sunday but finished behind Udinese on the table after the latter drew 0-0 with champions AC Milan.

Those results left the clubs tied on 66 points each. With their head-to-head record split at 1-1, the final Champions League spot fell to Udinese due to their superior goal difference.

The near-miss is especially galling for Reja given his side wasted a penalty in their 2-1 loss at Udinese on May 8.

Argentinean striker Mauro Zarate’s missed spot-kick in the 67th minute could have made all the difference for Lazio, who instead will return to the Europa League for the first time in two years.

“It makes us very bitter, especially considering we lost the decisive match with Udinese, wasting a penalty,” Reja said.

“Clearly some of the blame has to be ours, as we also failed to get the points against big clubs.”

“We still got 66 points, the same as Udinese, so we were both the surprise outfits of this season.”

“I thank the club for giving me such a strong squad and from next week we’ll start talking about the transfer strategy to complete the team.”

Reja has yet to sign a deal to return to the Lazio helm next season but is not worried, saying he and club president Claudio Lotito have agreed in principle to a new contract.

“Claudio Lotito and I sealed it with a handshake deal two months ago that I will remain with Lazio for another season,” the manager said.

“We haven’t decided on the length of the contract, but the deal is there.”