Genoa per noi
By: salvatore |
2 Comments
The team is off to Genoa this weekend, and everything else around it is up in the air. Yep, it seems the upheaval I was expecting to happen this summer has already begun, with sporting director Walter Sabatini and general secretary Giampiero Persichetti both quitting yesterday night. Considering that Sabatini also tendered a letter of resignation following his mind-numbingly awful summer transfer campaign, this doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, but you have to wonder just what else can happen during the course of what is by far the worst season I’ve ever experienced as a Lazio fan. I mean just when the hell is it going to end already? Still two more games? Seriously?
Unsurprisingly, there were reports of possible replacements today, for both Delio and Sabatini. I won’t get into all the possibilities, but I will say that the most interesting for the coach’s spot was one Sven Goran Eriksson. Not sure how likely this would ever be, but there’s no question it would go a long way to soothing the very rocky relationship Lotito has with the Biancoceleste faithful. After all, whether or not he had oodles of Cragnotti money behind him, Svenny was the man at the helm during a win streak that included one Coppa Italia, two Italian Supercups, the last ever European Cup Winners’ Cup, and of course, a Scudetto. Who the hell would argue with his return?
Regardless, I’d expect very little to happen officially until this season grinds to a halt. Which brings us to the encounter with Genoa. Much like last week’s tussle with Palermo, neither team has anything to play for, and you can argue that Lazio might be slightly less than lost at this point.
In any case, the line-up looks to be different from the one that lost 2-0 to Inter mid-week, at least according to PiazzaDellaLiberta. Reportedly, Kolarov, Rozehnal and De Silvestri will get starts at the back, while Firmani will play with Mutarelli and Ledesma in the middle. Depending on where you get your info, the attack will either be the usual trident of Rocchi, Pandev and Bianchi, or one featuring Mauri behind Goran and Balboa.
Genoa has had a solid season in their return to the top flight, and obviously, Marco Borriello is the man to watch on their side. Di Vaio is out, so apparently Marco will be playing between Leon and Sculli, which will make this Sunday’s match the battle of the three-pronged attacks. Let’s hope my bringing this up doesn’t doom us to a 0-0 snoozefest.
Forza Lazio (now more than ever).
Probable formations:
Lazio: Ballotta; De Silvestri, Siviglia, Rozehnal, Kolarov; Firmani, Ledesma, Mutarelli; Pandev, Bianchi, Rocchi
Genoa: Rubinho; Konko, Bovo, A.Lucarelli; M.Rossi, Milanetto, Juric, Fabiano; Leon, Borriello, Sculli
Likelihood Lazio blows it: 80%
Likelihood Borriello scores: 75%
Likelihood Lazio fans travel to Genoa just to insult Lotito: 100%
Here’s what happened the last time these teams met:
P.S. Paolo Conte rules.
Tags: Genoa, Marco Borriello, Team News, Previews, sabatini, Sven Goran Eriksson, Di Vaio, Tag IndexBah Bah Black Sheep
By: salvatore | 3 Comments
Bah, not sure what to say anymore about a season as bad as this. Can you blame one person? A group? Can you look down the line and say, he should be replaced, him too, and also him, etc?
How else do you rectify a season involving, let’s see, massive, massive mismanagement, a consequently failed champions league jaunt, a ridiculous amount of injuries, a league leading number of cards and suspensions, the death of a fan, serious under achievement throughout the entire team, and oh yeah, a lot of infighting, finger pointing and shit-talking?
It would be easy to just blame Lotito, make him the black sheep he seems to have been born to play, but there’s clearly something else going on within the team. I mean, even if you hadn’t noticed the makeshift line-up that took on Palermo on Sunday, you had a sense they were going to blow it. You could just sort of see it in the players’ body language, even before they missed two absolute sitters and hit a post. They were going to lose it, and it was like they knew.
Ordinarily, I’d say when a team has given up like that, it’s the coach’s fault, but really, what else can Delio do with the team he has? As we’ve seen time and time again, the group Lotito gave him is just not deep enough to handle injuries or suspensions. There is just not enough quality to survive a heavy loss in numbers.
So now we’re on the eve of the Coppa Italia semifinal against Inter, and Delio is talking about a win to “save the season”. My question is, can it really be saved, and more importantly, should it?
Don’t get me wrong, there’s never anything wrong with winning a trophy. After all, that’s the point. Still, there’s a part of me that can’t help shake the feeling that a win will only have a negative impact on the team’s long-term plans. What do I mean? Well, take last year’s third place finish. There’s no doubt that it was exciting, unexpected, and positive, but on the flip side, it also fooled Lotito into thinking that the team could get by (on three fronts keep in mind) with patch-work, cheap, thrifty additions and fixes.
Of course, the moment the team was hit with some injury problems everything wrong with that line of thinking was exposed, and he was forced to actually make some moves in January, bringing in Bianchi, Dabo, Radu and Rozehnal.
So what am I saying? I don’t want them to lose tomorrow, but if they do, well, there may be a silver lining in that it would force Lotito into making some serious changes. Maybe it’s time to really consider unloading some players who are of value (Behrami, Stendardo, Ledesma and Mauri), start fresh and bring in some more youth to play with Radu, De Silvestri, Pandev and Kolarov. Maybe it’s time to embrace the inevitable?
A rumor today suggested that Juve were considering offering Palladino for full rights to Stendardo, which would be a great start to this kind of plan. But frankly, I think Juve would have to be out of their fucking minds to give up on Palladino so soon, and I doubt that deal ever happens.
In any case, the match is tomorrow, and for the first time in a while, Delio will have more or less a complete starting 11. I say complete because according to PiazzaDellaLiberta he’ll have the benefit of his first choice starting keeper, the trident attack of Pandev, Bianchi and Rocchi, and I think this year’s most efficient Lazio midfield, Dabo, Ledesma and Behrami. The only thing that makes it suspect is a back four made up of Zauri on the right, Siviglia and Cribari in the middle and Radu on the left. You’d have to wonder why De Silvestri or Kolarov aren’t playing, but then again, this is not the official starting line-up yet, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Probable formations:
Lazio: Ballotta; Zauri, Siviglia, Cribari, Radu; Dabo, Ledesma, Behrami; Pandev, Bianchi, Rocchi.
Inter: (Guessing) Toldo, Maxwell, Rivas, Materazzi, Fatic, Solari, Bolzoni, Pele, Jimenez, Suazo, Crespo
Highlights of the first leg:
Lazio - Palermo
By: salvatore | 3 Comments
The two eagle-centric teams face off this weekend in a bid to determine which is the most self-destructive. If you’re a betting man, put money on both of them losing. Seriously, these two teams do such a good job of sabotaging themselves that I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lega creates a new result category just for this game.
On Lazio’s end, all of its eggs have been depressingly placed in the Coppa Italia basket, which essentially, has made the last month a complete write-off (with last Sunday’s embarrassment in Torino the pièce de résistance - at least one would hope). You’d think that the team would want to do everything it can to right the ship after six games without a win, but with the Coppa semi-final looming, I wouldn’t be surprised if motivation and tactics are affected.
Dabo and Siviglia are suspended again, but Ledesma should be back, which means we won’t have to watch Baronio play this time. Luciano Zauri is expected to play in Siviglia’s spot in central defense, with Radu playing at left-back.
The options up front are limited again, with Tommaso Balboa still out with injury. This is fitting, since he’s told the press the “team will say sorry on the field.” Not sure how he intends to do that from the stands. But I guess his intentions were good.
We’ll likely see Pandev and Bianchi playing ahead of Stefano Mauri, so God help us, especially if Delio decides halfway through to “turn over” the line-up for Wednesday’s match. This would be a prime location for a Fabio Vignaroli joke, but I actually think he played pretty well last weekend against Juve, and that’s saying something considering how dire everyone else was.
Palermo has just as little to play for as we do, but they are spared the distraction of the Coppa. The only thing putting pressure on them is the fact that trigger happy Zampa may sell off and fire everyone involved with the team if they keep tanking. Funnily enough, if he does fire Colantuono, Stefano may end up coaching the Biancoceleste, which frankly, doesn’t make me feel one way or the other. Boh.
All that said, I happen to think very highly of some Palermo players, and I’m honestly baffled that they could have stumbled so much this year. Amauri is obviously the big name guy (with half of Europe after him), but I happen to believe that Miccoli is a great, and massively underrated player. In a different country, he’d be an automatic selection for the national team. Throw in some really interesting young guys like Cavani and Jankovic, and Palermo should be a tough team to beat. I’m clueless as to why so many teams have managed to do it.
In any case, whoever hurts themselves less will pull this one out. I’m just hoping that it’s an entertaining and well-fought battle.
Probable Formations:
Lazio: Muslera; De Silvestri, Cribari, Radu, Zauri; Mudingayi, Ledesma, Mutarelli; Mauri; Pandev, Bianchi
Palermo: Agliardi; Cassani, Rinaudo, Barzagli, Balzaretti; Guana, Migliaccio; Jankovic, Miccoli, Caserta; Amauri
Likelihood Lazio blows it: 65%
Likelihood Vignaroli comes on to score a hat-trick: 02%
Likelihood that Zampa says/does something crazy afterwards: 85%
Here’s what happened the last time these teams met:
Category: Previews Tags: Palermo, Balboa, Coppa Italia, Previews, Fabio Vignaroli, Amauri, Miccoli, Colantuono, jankovic, Tag IndexIn other news…
By: salvatore | 2 Comments
As expected, Sunday’s apathetic and depressing performance brought out another round of finger pointing, fan protests and possible replacements for Delio.
Thankfully, there have been some other developments in the last couple of days to help us get over that and the fact that this team has not won any of its last 6 games (!).
First up we have news that management is after Valencia defender Emiliano Moretti.
Technically he’s a left back, which we’d seem to have covered with Kolarov and Zauri, but if this year has taught us anything, it’s that it’s never a bad idea to have depth and cover. Besides, Moretti has also played as a center back in the past, and the Rome native is a born and bred Lazio fan.
So, like most other players we’ve been linked to in the last little while, it sounds good. As always though, it will come down to two things: money (or rather, Lotito’s willingness to part with it) and competition from other clubs. At the moment, it’s believed that potential Champions League players Fiorentina are leading the pack for the defender’s signature, but the insatiable folks at TuttoMercatoWeb spoke with Emiliano’s brother/agent, and he claims that the Biancoceleste are one of the teams in the frame.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see, particularly since Valencia is in a relegation battle. If they don’t survive though, you can bet Moretti will be back in the peninsula faster than you can say “Peroni”.
In other news, there’s been some news on the giant cock-tease Lotito likes to call Stadio Delle Aquile. It seems that Gianni Alemanno, the new mayor of Rome who claims to only be a fan of the national team, wants to make some changes in the city, and on his to-do list is finding areas where new Anglo-influenced stadiums can be constructed. The catch? These new stadiums have to be completely privately funded, which means as always, it’s up to Lotito to do something.
Here’s to hoping for the best.
Category: Team NewsLazio - Juve
By: salvatore | 7 Comments
The Biancoceleste take their stuttering, seemingly never-ending, season to Torino this Sunday to face Juve, and if reports are to be believed, there may be more interesting things happening off-field than on.
At the heart of any transfer talk is Stendardo, who has made it clear he’s not looking forward to coming back (good riddance). So, instead of forking over the amount he costs, it seems that Juve might be more comfortable just handing over one (or two) of their young jewels.
The first among them is midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who aside from being very promising, has also been linked to us in the past. Nothing really new there, especially since I doubt this will happen. What is new though is Lazio being linked with one Davide Lanzafame.
I’m not one to get worked up over youtube compilations, but I’ve read about this guy before, and it’s hard not to get excited about someone who’s most often described as “explosive”.
On the field, things are looking way, way more disgusting. Ousmane Dabo, Luciano Zauri and Cristian Ledesma are all suspended, and Valon Behrami, Igli Tare and um, Mobido Diakhite (remember him?) are sidelined by injury. Adding to this misery is the fact that Rocchi is doubtful. Oh, and Rolando Whitey and Goran Pandev are apparently less than 100%.
What else can you say? Essentially, the B-team is facing Juve this weekend, and unless Behrami makes a miracle recovery, we’re looking at a midfield of Roberto Baronio (in Ledesma’s central role), Mofo Mutarelli and Gaby Mudingayi.
I don’t know, I’m not confident. Especially since it’s likely we’ll see Mauri at some point too (double sigh).
Probable Formations:
Lazio: Ballotta; De Silvestri, Siviglia, Cribari, Kolarov; Mudingayi, Baronio, Mutarelli; Mauri; Pandev, Bianchi
Juventus: Buffon; Zebina, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Sissoko, Zanetti, Nedved; Trezeguet, Del Piero
Likelihood Lazio blows it: 70%
Likelihood we continue our imitation of Torino FC and tie again: 45%
Likelihood the “B” team plays better than the “A”: 15%
Here’s what happened the last time these teams met:
Forza Lazio.
Golden Oldie
By: salvatore | Add Comments
There’s been some transfer/contract talk the last few days that’s been making me ill, so instead of going over how Bianchi and Behrami are suddenly too expensive for Lotito (vattene), I thought I’d just post about a true Lazio and Italy great: Silvio Piola.
Born in Pavia, the inventor of the bicycle kick was a real workhouse, playing 537 games in Serie A (4th all time) despite something of a world war breaking out right in the middle of his career. More impressively, Piola scored 274 goals in his 25 years, which doesn’t give him the greatest strike rate, but puts him solidly at number one on Serie A’s all-time goalscoring list:
Player Goals/Appearances
1. Silvio Piola 274/539
2. Gunnar Nordhal 225/291
3. Giuseppe Meazza 216/367
4. Jose Altafini 216/459
5. Roberto Baggio 205/452
6. Kurt Hamrin 191/400
7. Giuseppe Signori 188/344
8. Gabriel Batistuta 183/306
Unless Baggio comes back and defies every logical notion of human aging, that’s a record that should stand for awhile. Just as secure is Piola’s 143 talies wearing the Biancoceleste shirt. Yep, Silvio is Lazio’s all-time greatest goal scorer too, and he’ll continue to be unless Rocchi suddenly scores 20 goals in each of his next five years (C’mon Balboa!).
Piola’s nine seasons with Lazio also coincided with his Azzurri period, which most notably includes the 1938 World Cup win, where he scored five times.
That triumph must have been exceptionally sweet for Piola, as he somehow failed to win a scudetto in his career, which is just mind boggling. In any case, all that goal scoring put him in esteemed company, and numerous media outlets (like World Soccer, Guerin’ Sportivo, and Placar) named him among the 20th century’s best players.
Here’s a clip on Piola (sorry only in Italian):
And some highlights from the 1938 World Cup final against Hungary. Piola scored two in that game (and five in the tournament):
Forza Silvio.
Category: Team NewsAs predicted…
By: salvatore | Add Comments
The boys in Biancoceleste blew it against Catania yesterday. There seemed to be the wrong attitude going in, which spelled trouble, and with two expulsions added in for good measure, well, you have your defeat.
The 9 man adventure started when Zauri pulled Mascara down in the box for a penalty, and got a straight red for his efforts. Dabo was then booked for an aggressive tackle in the second half, and in the span of about 3 seconds, said enough to the ref to warrant a second yellow. Either he’s the fastest talker in the world, or the smile that he flashed rubbed official Domenico Celi the wrong way. Regardless, that was basically game set and match, and both Dabo and Zauri will now miss out on the match with Juve next week.
If you’re keeping track, these bookings were part of the 34 yellow and 9 red cards given out in yesterday’s Serie A schedule, which is unbelievable when you really think about it. Also, Lazio have now had 11 players sent off this season, which is a league high.
Shitty stat, but hey, at least we’re leading the league in something.
Elsewhere in Lazio Land, it seems there’s something brewing about the nationality of Mourad Meghni. It seems the Frenchman, of Algerian descent, has an opportunity to play with Algeria’s national team, as long as Fifa agrees to change the nationality on the player’s official file. No word on how the French feel about this, but seeing as how they’ve never called him up, and how he repeatedly fails to live up to occasional flashes of brilliance, I don’t see them having a problem with it.
Meanwhile, another politician weighed in on the stadium issue. Basically, he claims that it would be incredibly difficult to build stadiums for both Lazio and Rioma Merda, but if elected, he’ll consider anything. Essentially what this means is that he wants votes, and will say anything to get them. Once in office, or course, he’ll just say something like, “as I said in the past, it’s very difficult to get done.” Just another day then…
The highlights from yesterday’s shiftless and dispirited 1-0 loss to Catania:
Category: ResultsLazio - Catania
By: salvatore | Add Comments
Because we can’t really move up (and can’t be relegated), motivation seems to be the key word leading up to tomorrow’s clash with relegation battlers Catania. Basically, we have very little, and they have plenty.
This kind of shit makes me sick, to be perfectly honest, but obviously, the team and coaching staff have their sights set on the Coppa Italia.
So, with the wrong mentality going in, and Delio intent on playing the turnover game again,
we can lose this, even if we should win.
Hoping to make a positive impression will be David Rozehnal, who due to the suspension of Siviglia, will likely get the start at center back. Who plays next to him is anyone’s guess, though I think Radu is going to get in there. Zauri will also get another start in his return from a lengthy injury, and Mofo Mutarelli will be in the starting 11 for the third straight game.
Up front Rocchi is reportedly going to partner Tare, and either Meghni or Mauri will be lined up behind them. I have no idea how that’s going to work, but I think the Frenchman can provide a touch more creativity than Mauri, who frankly, who could be replaced by a cardboard box.
On their end, Vargas is clearly the danger man, particularly if newly installed coach Walter Zenga plays him in a midfield position, as he has been. Former Castel Di Sangro striker Gionatha Spinesi can also be a thorn in the ass if given space, so you know, let’s hope he doesn’t get any. Also of note is Lorenzo Stovini, who years back, was a solid pickup for me in Football Manager 2000.
Probable Formations:
Lazio: Ballota; Zauri, Rozenhal, Cribari, Radu; Mudingay, Ledesma, Mutarelli; Mauri or Meghni; Tare, Rocchi
Catania: Polito; Sardo, Terlizzi, Stovini, Sabato; Izco, Gia.Tedesco, Edusei, Vargas; Mascara, Spinesi
Likelihood that Lazio blows it: 65%
Likelihood that Vargas takes a bit fat shit on us: 55%
Likelihood that Mauri gets substituted for a cardboard box: 10%
Here’s what happened last time these teams met:
Forza Lazio.
Category: PreviewsIf you’re going to kiss your sister…
By: salvatore | Add Comments
It’s probably best that you don’t score.
What else can you say about yesterday’s goalless, misfiring bonanza against Inter?
Even with Mauri stepping in for the injured Bianchi, Lazio pretty much dominated the first 40 minutes of the game, and aside from the knowledge that there’s still a second leg to play in Rome, have little to show for that dominance.
Sure, they created plenty of chances, moved the ball around well and played with their customary level of heart and toughness, trouble is, their finishing was also about as sharp as a Kleenex tissue.
So, for the 6th time in 9 games, we’re forced to make do with a tie. Pretty shitty if you ask me, but I guess it beats losing. Still, tying is like perpetually treading water. You aren’t drowning, but you’re not getting anywhere either. Stack up enough of that time spent doggy paddling, and you start to feel like you’re stuck in some sort of torturous waiting room where you never get called.
I guess a run like that is fitting when you consider the season we’ve just had. In many ways we’re in the crossroads of the transitional phase the team has been in since the near-financial implosion and subsequent arrival of Lotito, and it almost makes sense for us to be treading water on the field, since we have been off the field too. Are we simply trying to stay afloat, or are we actually going someplace?
To that end there has been some good news in the last few days. For one thing, about five thousand fans traveled to support the team in Milan yesterday. Considering Lotito’s effect on season ticket sales and attendance figures in general, that’s something of note, particularly since we’re heading to one of the most important summers in the Lotito era. If he can manage to somehow avoid shooting us in the foot again (please, no laughing), he might be able to bring back some of the fold.
Helping him do that would be an extension signed by Behrami. Apparently they’re in negotiations with his agent, so there’s hope, even if Fiorentina continues to circle.
The fact that shirt sponsors have Edileuropa have agreed to prolong the initial four-game contract is solid news then, as it should in theory help fill the coffers for off-season transactions (and contract extensions). They will now be on the shirt for the remainder of the season, and any and all remaining Coppa games.
So…here’s to the future (and to hell with tying).
FORZA LAZIO.
Some highlights from yesterday:
Category: Results Tags: Coppa Italia, Inter, Results, behrami, edileuropa, sponsor, lotito, tying, treading water, mauri, Tag IndexCoppa: Lazio - Inter
By: salvatore | 7 Comments
It’s Coppa Italia time again, and Lazio are off to Milan today to face Inter Buenos Aires’ B-Team. Aside from the trophy itself, there is also a spot in Europe on the line, so you can bet the necessary motivation will be there. The trouble is that we’re playing in Milan.
Put simply, the San Siro is about as welcoming to us as a Red Roofs Inn in Atlanta (stay there only if you want to be treated like a turd with the plague. Trust me, it’s awful). Seriously, we’re as lucky there as a blindfolded golfer.
That said, we are playing the second string Argentinians today, and we have the positive performance against Inter a few weeks back to build on. They key will be to get home for the second leg in a good position. We can take them at home, but not if we’re down a bunch of goals on aggregate. So, as long as we don’t lose today, we’re ok.
Delio’s Anti-Inter plan is likely going to involve the ever-popular trident attack, with Pandev playing behind Rolando Whitey and Balboa. The midfield will certainly see Dabo and Ledesma, the question mark though is who will take up the other spot? Will it be Mutareli, who played well and scored against Siena this weekend? Or will it be Behrami? Training sessions seem to indicate that Delio is going to go with Mofo Mutarelli, and put Behrami at the fullback position. I have no problem with this on the surface, but it means that Lorenzo De Silvestri is not going to start…and that I frown on. Heavily.
Unsurprisingly, Nonno Ballotta will also be back between the sticks following Muslera’s gift to Siena on Sunday. The youngster has been the one to get the team to this point in the Coppa, and he probably could have been playing today, were it not for that howler. Is he unlucky, or just not good enough? Hard to say so far, but hopefully that mistake doesn’t haunt the poor bastard.
As for Inter, I have absolutely no clue who they’re going to play. Apparently Super Mario Balotelli, Cruz, Pele and Faccia Di Schiaffo extraordinaire Zlatan Ibrahimovic are all out for the first leg, but that doesn’t really mean anything since they have one of the deepest benches in Italy. I expect a tough match, but I’m also confident of getting a result.
Forza Lazio.
Here’s what happened the last time these teams met (in Serie A):
Category: Previews Tags: Previews, mutarelli, rolando whitey, san siro, coppa italia, balboa, pandev, ballotta, muslera, Tag Index
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