Italian Serie A side Lazio recently announced manager Stefano Pioli had signed a new deal with the club, keeping him at the Stadio Olimpico until 2017, and given their rise to prominence in 2014/15, the decision to extend Pioli’s stay with the Sky Blues could well see Lazio emerge a real European force next season.
He was initially appointed head coach last summer, succeeding Edoardo Reja in June 2014. Full of experience, the Lazio job was Pioli’s tenth in the last 12 years, and one that could well have backfired given how much the club have spiralled down the table in the last two years. The 49-year-old coach took charge of a side that had recently finished 9th in the Serie A, and was tasked with the job to take the club back into the Champions League for the following campaign.
With an ageing side, many were talking down Lazio’s chances of a top-three finish in the table, and their first few games did little to change that. Three defeats from their four opening matches in the league saw the Sky Blues in the lower reaches of the table, and already saw Pioli’s job under threat. But four consecutive wins turned things around, and the manager finally managed to get the side playing in his image over the course of the campaign.
Lazio finished third in the table come May, which was their highest league position for nine years. It ensured Champions League football would be returning to the Stadio Olimpico, providing they can win a two-legged qualifier, and saw Pioli extend his stay with the Italian giants for another two years. There’s plenty of work to do this summer, and a selection of players they are desperately trying to hold on to, but the feeling in the camp is that Lazio could be art of something great next season.
Brazilian playmaker Felipe Anderson has been outstanding for the Sky Blues, and has found himself linked with a host of European outfits already this summer. However, he made it clear publicly that he wants to stay with the Italians, which is further evidence of the direction the side are now going in. Champions League football could transform the club into heavyweights if they invest wisely this summer, and pushing on in Serie A is also key to ensure they have top European the following season, as well as challenging the likes of perennial champions Juventus and runners-up AS Roma.
Lazio are certainly the team to watch domestic and in Europe next season
