Lazio suffering from Champions League blues

Before Lazio’s Round of 16 clash against Bayern Munich, Simone Inzaghi’s men were among the most in-form sides in Italy. The capital-based club surged up the table, winning seven of its last eight games in Serie A. Beyond a defeat against Inter, Lazio entered the game in near-perfect form and looked good value to upset the Bavarian giants.

Boasting a deadly Ciro Immobile, and the impressive midfield duo of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, the Lazio faithful believed in the possibility of an upset. After all, Bayern was just coming off a defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt and a disappointing draw against Arminia Bielefeld.

When the final whistle blew on Tuesday, their optimism was quickly replaced by disappointment. A collection of individual errors handed Bayern a commanding 4-1 lead, heading into the second leg. Having conceded four away goals, Lazio would need nothing short of a miracle to progress past the reigning champions.

Lazio’s woes continued this weekend in league action, losing to Bologna 2-0. Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men went into the game with just one win in their last five but dictated the proceedings against Lazio from start to finish. Immobile’s missed penalty shot did his side no favors, essentially condemning them to their eighth defeat of the season.

The defeat cast serious doubts over Lazio’s Champions League credentials, as Inzaghi’s men enter a crucial stretch in the season. If the Biancocelesti are to return to Europe’s elite competition next season, they cannot afford to drop games like these. The race for top four is simply too tight.

Morale may be low following a drubbing, but there are no excuses not to overcome Bologna. Lazio currently sits in sixth place, just one point behind arch-rivals Roma in fourth place, setting up a fiery second half to the season. As reports surface that Lazio may be penalized for not following the appropriate COVID-19 protocols against Juventus and Torino, the Biancocelesti might fall further behind in the race.

Inzaghi has no choice to go back to the drawing board and shake things up. When in form, fewer sides in Italy play better football than Lazio. The Italian giants play with a clear identity and move the ball around efficiently. Immobile and Joaquin Correa are always there to finish, while their midfield boasts a near-perfect blend. At the back, Francesco Acerbi is tasked with marshaling the rearguard, leading with great aplomb.

While an early elimination from the Champions League may be on the cards, Inzaghi must turn to the side’s veterans and turn Lazio’s season around. Last year, the Biancocelesti challenged for the Scudetto for much of the season, before hitting a wall and finishing fourth.

Lazio cannot afford a similar drop-off this time around as they have not built a similar cushion atop the table. With Napoli, Roma, Juve, Milan, and Atalanta all in the battle for top four, missed opportunities will come back to haunt Lazio. Their defeat against Bologna is not the be-all, end-all, but cannot turn into a trend.

Lazio failed to deal with adversity last season, but must learn from its lessons and once again qualify for Europe’s elite competition. The financial windfall that comes with qualification would help the side bolster its roster across the board and add some much-needed depth in crucial areas. This summer’s arrivals have not been up to snuff, failing to make an impact when called upon.

As the season draws to a close, defeats like Saturday’s must become an anomaly for Lazio. Inzaghi has been there before, but this time around must deliver different results. The benefits of yet another season in the Champions League are endless, but with the pressure on, will Lazio falter?

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Improving Inzaghi proves a point as Lazio rotate their way to eight-game unbeaten run

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If anyone deserves a bit of festive cheer, it’s Simone Inzaghi.

It’s remarkable that the Biancocelesti boss has any of those luscious locks left on his head and hasn’t torn them out in frustration by now, because even by the standards of this most unpredictable and disrupted of seasons, he’s had a rough ride.

The 44-year-old came in for some criticism when Serie A returned after lockdown last season, as his side slipped from one point off top to fourth place.

He struggled to effectively rotate his squad and manage the energy levels of his key players as Lazio’s form nosedived.

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Lazio’s Lulic succession plan could finally be solved by Fares

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The international break can often be a time of rest and recuperation for Serie A clubs. Not for Lazio.

Outside the gates of Formello, the investigation into the club’s handling of its Covid-19 testing continues to attract endless debate and speculation.

Inside, Luis Alberto’s public complaints about the club buying an aeroplane while not fully paying their players angered staff and fans alike.

On the pitch, Ciro Immobile finally returned to availability after eventually testing negative for the coronavirus, but the celebratory mood was soon dampened when the Serbian FA announced that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic picked up the virus on international duty. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round Seven – Top Matches

SASSUOLO-UDINESE

Sassuolo: the Neroverdi were missing their top three players against Napoli, but they won anyway thanks a brand-new scheme by Roberto De Zerbi, who, for once, opted for caution and a three-man back-line and got rewarded with their talented central midfielders stepping up. Filip Djuricic has COVID and will not return here, Domenico Berardi and Francesco Caputo have been called up, but they might be limited, so it is possible Giacomo Raspadori stays initially in a big role and Gregoire Defrel gets the nod. Both the Frenchman and Jeremie Boga have not looked great as they work their way into shape, while Hamed Traore is generally pretty lively. Even if at less than 100 percent, Caputo and Betardi are always good choices, while Lopez would be an outstanding one if used as no.10 to substitute Djuricic. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round Six – Remaining Games

CROTONE-ATALANTA

Crotone: they had their best offensive game to date in the Cagliari trip, unfortunately their defence keeps letting them down and they do not have the horses to fully make up for it. Junior Messias and Salvatore Molina capitalized on their good run of form with their first goals of the season versus the Sardinians and they have welcomed back linchpin Ahmad Benali, who will be a weapon once he will have his legs underneath him. Simy has nailed two PKs so far and he always has a chance or two during matches. Arkadiusz Reca is coming off an assist and has squarely been their best wing-back. Jacopo Petriccione is likely to fill in for Luca Cigarini and he could be a cheap plug. The Goddess have been rather shoddy defensively so far.

Recommended picks: Simy, Messias, Molina. Continue reading

Introducing Lazio’s unlikely Champions League hero: Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro

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When Lazio’s third goal hit the net against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night to cap a superb return to the Champions League, the fans’ elation was mixed with surprise.

Who would have possibly predicted that the decisive goal of the Biancocelesti’s first group stage match in 13 years would be scored by Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro?

The midfielder himself appeared as stunned as anyone by how events unfolded.

“When I signed for Lazio I didn’t think that I would play straight away, I’d like to thank the coach for this,” he said after the game.

He wasn’t the only one. Akpa Akpro’s arrival from Serie B side Salernitana over the summer fell under the radar, with most fan and media attention understandably being directed towards €20m man Vedat Muriqi, a botched move for David Silva and the failure to upgrade the defence. Continue reading

Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round Five

Atalanta: Matteo Pessina returned in Champions League from a late-season patellar dislocation. Ruslan Malinovskyi had an old scar in his adductor flare up and missed the previous game, but he is set to be available SaturdayCristiano Piccini (knee) could return sooner rather than later, while Pierluigi Gollini (knee) is at least two weeks away.

Benevento: Nicolas Viola has resumed practicing after his meniscus surgery and made the squad list. Gabriele Moncini and Federico Barba are out again to muscular problems and are joined in that regard by Iago Falque.  Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round Four – Top Matches

NAPOLI-ATALANTA

Napoli: they did not get to play the third game because of well-known reasons, but the first two were pretty indicative. Victor Osimhen has yet to score, but he has had a major impact anyway and he is bound to break through soon. In the meantime, Dries Mertens has led the charge (two goals, two assists), helped by the resurgent Hirving Lozano, who has kept up the momentum from the restart. The injury to Lorenzo Insigne and Piotr Zielinski and Elijf Elmas getting COVID might slow down the deployment 4-2-3-1 in full force, but that should be the way forward and the arrival of Tiemoué Bakayoko cements it. The absences could give Matteo Politano and/or Stanislav Lobotka a bigger role than usual and the former scored in the Genoa romp. If Atalanta do not adjust the way they defend, they could make some sweet music on counters.

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Serie A Best Fantasy XI – Round Three

Lorenzo Montipò: Benevento had struggled defensively in the first two matches, and that was a little uncharacteristic given the type of team they were last season, but they bounced back and held a clean sheet versus Bologna, also thanks to the heroics of their last bulwark, who stopped the opponents on point-blank attempts at least three times.

Theo Hernandez (9 points): Milan have yet to concede this season and the Spaniard sealed the Spezia game with one of his glorious sprints down the left flank, switching field position in a hurry after stripping an opponent and capping it off with a pinpoint strike in the bottom corner. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Recap – Round Three

Results: COVID-19 took away two fixtures in this round, including the much anticipated Juventus-Napoli. In the other crunch game, Lazio weathered the early storm produced by Inter and came away with a quality. Atalanta keep rolling and bagged five goals against Cagliari, while Milan throttled Spezia in the second half and the they are the only two perfect teams in the season. Right behind them in the standings there is Sassuolo, which rag-dolled Crotone. Roma snatched their first W of the season over the point-less Udinese, same feat for Sampdoria, which upset Fiorentina on the road. Benevento is now up to six points after squeaking by Bologna.

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