Lotito is pinning all his hopes on the Coppa Italia as a lifeline. Bonuses for the team will be doubled if they win the trophyAll eyesare on the Coppa Italia. For Lazio, it’s their only remaining route back to Europe. The fans know this, resigned to the idea of a forgettable league campaign. The team knows it, with Sarri potentially able to present a trophy to a club that has shown him great affection. And Lotito knows it too, seeing a chance to save face in a disastrous season that began with a frozen transfer market and is ending with bitter protests and an empty stadium. Securing even just a place in the Coppa Italia final would also guarantee a spot in next season’s Italian Super Cup final four, meaning more money for the club’s coffers. Winning the trophy could therefore truly save the Biancocelesti’s season, both from a sporting and an economic perspective.For all these reasons, as reported today by *Corriere dello Sport*, Lotito is said to have decided to double the bonuses promised to the players, the manager and the coaching staff in the event of a victory. The total figure, currently standing at around two million euros, is set to exceed four million. Several weeks ago, even before the quarter-final – which was eventually won on penalties against Bologna – the Lazio president had urged the team to give their all to try and go far in this competition. The owner’s jubilation following Taylor’s decisive penalty at the Dall’Ara is proof of just how much he cares. For this reason, with just over a month to go until the return leg in Bergamo against Atalanta, all attention is already focused on that decisive match, which could open the door to the final on 13 May at the Olimpico against the winner of the Inter v Como tie.For Sarri, too, the Cup has become important. Winning trophies at any cost has never been his vision of football. And it’s no secret that the Coppa Italia has never particularly excited him. This year, however, the unusual situation he is experiencing at Lazio is leading him to think differently. And triumphing with Lazio, after a problematic season in many respects, would in this case take on the flavour of personal redemption. That said – as he himself has hinted – it would still be a fleeting joy. Whether or not they win the Cup would not alter his assessments of his own future or the technical project at Lazio. He would like next year to be ‘year one’ and not ‘year zero’ all over again. He would like to see a united club and a packed stadium, rather than finding himself caught in the middle of a standoff between the club and the fans. It is this, not the outcome of the Coppa Italia campaign, that will determine whether the manager remains in charge.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting