Not long left now, so allow me to briefly update you on how A.S. Roma and more importantly how we will be lining up tomorrow.

Let’s start with the nominal home team; they will be missing Rosi and Brighi through suspension and Cassetti is injured.

A.S. Roma will probably line out like in a 4-2-3-1 composed of these players:

32 Doni; 29 N. Burdisso, 5 Mexes, 4 Juan, 17 Riise; 7 Pizarro, 16 De Rossi; 11 Taddei, 20 Perrotta, 94 Menez; 10 Totti.

Bench: 27 Julio Sergio, 15 Loria, 3 Castellini, 30 Simplicio, 23 Greco, 22 Borriello, 9 Vučinić

On to our lads; unfortunately Dias has definitely lost the battle to play tomorrow, he will be greatly missed so let’s hope Stendardo can satisfactorily fill his ample boots. The rest of the line-up bares no surprises at all, unless you include the happy news that sees both Mauri and Brocchi return to fitness, or at least the substitutes bench.

We will be matching the oppositions’ formation in a 4-2-3-1 which will likely see a fair few individual battles.

86 Muslera; 2 Lichtsteiner, 13 Stendardo, 20 Biava, 26 Radu; 24 Ledesma, 11 Matuzalém; 77 Sculli, 8 Hernanes, 10 Zárate; 22 Floccari.

Bench: 12 Berni, 5 Scaloni, 14 Garrido, 32 Brocchi, 6 Mauri, 15 Gonzalez, 18 Kozák.

The appearance of Taddei will most likely be on A.S. Roma’s left where he’ll be asked to follow Lichti up and down the pitch leaving Radu to busy himself with quieting Menez. Totti is playing centre-forward on paper but as we know he drifts and it’ll fall to either Matuzalem or Ledesma to pick him up when he comes deep to play the ball. Such a tactic tends to remove focus from the centre backs therefore they frequently leave their position to follow their man, this job should be left to Biava and Willy should stick, stay in position and don’t overcomplicate things. We all know what we expect of our forwards tomorrow, especially a certain Argentine, however some timely intervention from the prophet wouldn’t go amiss either. Lastly as much as I love Mauri, I would rather he doesn’t feature tomorrow if he starts on the bench; bringing him on means we’re not performing as we had hoped, let’s hope we bring Brocchi on as it’ll mean we’re shoring up a good position.

Anyway, I’m very excited and I’m looking for a good clean fight.

A.S. Roma vs. S.S. Lazio

Stadio Olimpico

Sunday 13 March

15:00 C.E.T.

Forza Lazio!!

Of course, as we all know, trifling matters such as form and omens matter not when the Derby della Capitale is concerned. I would love to take a sterile view of the game and place it within the context of our Champions League aspirations but alas, that is just not possible. Revenge is demanded. A.S. Roma’s shameless victory in the last derby (I am referring to the pathetic refereeing display we witnessed in that game coupled with the fact I have not seen a less deserved victory in quite a while) means nothing less than a totally spirited, committed and passionate performance will do. The three points would go down a f*cking treat as well.

Let’s look back on where we both are this week starting with the enemy.

Roma’s run of riding their luck finished a few weeks back, Tyche (Fortuna) has now turned her back on the lupi and about time too. It was becoming a frequent topic of unbiased analysers of the game (outside Italy at least) that A.S. Roma’s luck could not last. And it didn’t. They have collapsed in spectacular manner and less gracious enemies might mock them for it; but I won’t spit in the face of Tyche any less than not acknowledge her help when she gives it. But all the underlying problems facing A.S. Roma are now surfacing; the horrible ownership situation, potential bankruptcy, star player contracts, the Totti debate and wastrels like (the now departed)  Adriano bringing them down. Now I do not wish to see A.S. Roma as a club fail, we all need our enemies (“Molti nemici, molto onore”) so let’s hope their financial woes can be resolved so they can give us a game twice a year (sometimes four times a year).

If there is one thing in this world that keeps me permanently happy is that this is record that will NEVER be beaten, the poker, the four of a kind, the untouchable. Yes, four derby wins in one season. Unforgettable, unkillable, irreplaceable; it can never be topped. We will always have that year, something the merda will never have – the Poker.

Their game against Lecce on Friday finished in a 2-1 win for A.S. Roma, but not without relying on a last minute penalty and several near misses for Lecce. They will be worrying about some of their injury problems although there is a good chance that Totti, Cassetti, Vučinić and Julio Sergio will play.

So onto home affairs, where are we standing at the moment? The display last weekend against Palermo was perfectly acceptable but it wasn’t wholly convincing either. I think the fact that we scored two early goals led our players to drop the tempo thinking that it’ll be better to save the energy for next week. Zárate and Floccari made their comebacks to the first eleven and neither did much to impress but for two different reasons.  Zárate couldn’t have been playing more out of position if he’d been asked to actually play at left back; it was a carbon copy of what Nasri was doing for Arsenal on Tuesday. One big difference though, Palermo are not Barcelona. Now we’ll never know if Reja asked Mauro to play so close to his own goal but it’s either that or Mauro is so petrified of losing his place if he doesn’t appear to be working that he does it himself. Either way it’s no good; far be it from me to question the judgement of man with so much experience in the game (something I think us amateurs do far too often) but I cannot see the point of it. If you really do want a back four that permutates to a back six then surely Gonzalez is the man to play or Del Nero for example. Zárate is pretty useless at defending, but more importantly you can visibly see him lose confidence after every mistake when he’s out of position. So this smacks of a lack of courage by Reja, if you want to play that formation then put someone in who can do it, if you’re going to play Zárate then stick him in attack where he can do something. Floccari really didn’t do anything of note in this game but what’s important is that he got a good run out before this weekend.

First photo I put of the mister and it’s after accusing him of cowardice. Sorry Edy.

Now the big question, who will be fit for Sunday? On Friday Brocchi and Mauri will rejoin the group for training, whether that will be enough to see either of them fit for Sunday is an entirely different prospect. What is being said is we’re hoping to see them fit enough to feature on the bench which means unless this is a clever ruse, we won’t see either of them starting. Unfortunately there seems to be very little hope for Andre Dias so it’s looking more and more like we’ll be seeing Big Willy Stendardo again which really gives us a slow centre half pairing. Dias will return to training tomorrow but I’ve seen the word miraculous used to describe what it will be if he plays this weekend.

This leaves us looking at a traditional line-up: Muslera; Lichti (rested last week) back in at right back, Radu on the left and the aforementioned Willy – Biava partnership in the middle. The Matuzalém – Ledesma axis stays in place with what is admittedly a tasty looking quartet in front of them (Sculli on the right, Zárate left, Hernanes trequartista and Floccari up top. Granted, it isn’t Real Madrid but I think the four we have balance each other out very nicely on paper; whether they click on the pitch however…

We certainly need Hernanes to play at his best, in fact it is imperative because the magic ingredient to the foursome is Mauri and he’s still missing, he is the conduit that links all the pieces. Hernanes can do that but he needs to focus on doing purely that and not just trying to etch his name into Lazio hearts by trying to score.

The derby atmosphere is really heating up in Roma and we have one piece of excellent news for this game; the return of the Curva Nord. The ultras will be back in force this weekend and they are planning an extravaganza of choreography to mark their return. There will be much mockery of A.S. Roma’s fantastic luck this season at the hands of referees, and they are preparing some very big pieces with the return of a certain Massimo “Disegnello”, the iconic Lazio artist who has painted some of the most loved pieces to be displayed over the years in the Curva Nord. But, to repeat, most importantly, the long-suffering fans will be back to encourage our boys to the last so let’s hope our players understand the gravity of Sunday and maybe one of them can do what Zárate says “score a goal on Sunday, and they’ll never forget you”. With posters like “life or death” being posted outside Formello, I think the players will get the message.

In other brief news, our youth team sent to Viareggio have been knocked out in the second round. They defeated Torino 2-1 (Adeleke bagging both goals for Lazio) in the last group game but went out at the first knockout stage with a 0-2 reverse against Parma. Also more good news after signing his contract for our young gunslinger Kozák, he’s been informed that he will be called up for the next two senior Czech Republic games (against Spain and Lichtenstein) so congratulations and best of luck to him. Gonzalez has also worked his way back into the Uruguay squad, thanks to him breaking into the first team at Lazio.

Right, I’ll be back Saturday night/Sunday morning for the last minute team sheets and any news that comes in, until then…

Forza Lazio!

Before jumping into a quick look at the ‘new’ Palermo, let’s quickly look at how our boys in blue did last week. We had a very tough away day in Sardinia at Cagliari where we were sent back home with nil points, despite really not deserving to lose (nor really deserving to win). I am wholly convinced that had Andre Dias not had his unluckiest/stupidest (your pick) moment in a Lazio shirt then we would not have lost; a draw would have been the bare minimum and a win would have been achievable. But alas Dias did score a comical (for the neutral) own goal and the match was very predictable from then on. If anyone knows Donadoni’s management style then they know it has sweet F.A. to do with his playing style back when he was the world’s most exciting winger. The bus was parked in front of goal, Cagliari barely had any semblance of forward play and they sat back and waited; unfortunately for us they are actually very competent at keeping a clean sheet and well if we score the goal for them then…

All is forgiven, I love this man.

The forwards cannot be absolved of blame though, Floccari briefly impressed when he came on but didn’t do enough and I don’t remember Zárate doing anything threatening. I shan’t criticise Kozák as he is essentially a youth player being asked to do an experienced player’s job, it is normal for him to be inconsistent, him playing is not his fault but the club’s. I also still think that Matuzalém is not imposing himself on the game like he could. I understand he’s meant to hold but when we’re losing it doesn’t help if he passes the ball on from the halfway line and then remains static. We’re losing already, take a few steps up the pitch, be an outlet and take some responsibility.

So on to Palermo; they say a wounded beast is the most dangerous as it has nothing to lose. They have Balzaretti back which is a boon for them defensively and offensively and Miccoli is still out which means they are likely to play the same team as last week which took the 0-7 from Udinese.  This result obviously does not mean that Palermo are now rubbish, we remember the struggle they gave us for our win earlier in the season and they will have the predictable new manager ‘bounce’ and we’ll have to be more focused than usual as they will definitely be looking to avenge us and regain some pride.

No hat.

How are we shaping up for our last game before the derby? Not great injury wise unfortunately. We have seen the devastating news that Andre Dias is definitely out for tomorrow night’s game and is probably out for the derby too but we’ll cover that blow next week if it’s certain. Muslera has an outside chance of playing tomorrow but only if he’s at 100% as we understandably don’t wish to risk him before next week so be prepared to see Berni again. Guglielmo Stendardo will be stepping in next to Biava and our usual full-backs. It seems that Garrido will be on the bench which makes me wonder if we could have potentially played Garrido at left back and stuck Radu in the middle next to Biava, but maybe we’re not ready for that yet. The Ledesma – Matuzalém partnership stays in place, we don’t know whether that’s by choice or not though as Brocchi is still injured (and may also miss the derby) and we will have a once-again revamped midfield bank in front of those two. Zárate is brought back into the fold to play in the still-unfit Mauri’s left attacking midfield position. I feel this could work if he’s given the freedom to play instead of being given defensive duties and Sculli will be tracking back on the right wing (which is needed to counter Lichti’s bombing runs) whilst Mauro can roam whilst Radu sits. Finally we see the return of Sergio Floccari to the starting line-up and while this is certainly a welcome sign, it’ll be a shame to see Libor’s run in the side come to an end.

A quick conclusion to make here is that the injury crisis which I suggested in January might be one of the things that could undo our campaign may well be afoot. The loss of Mauri has seen to a drop in quality of play, an extended loss of Dias as well would be disastrous. When you consider the injuries to Diakité, Brocchi, Rocchi, Garrido it shows our squad may be large but in terms of quality a few injuries can hurt us. It’s to be expected but a more efficient organisation (in terms of team management) would be prepared for this by having and more importantly utilising the products of a youth academy. I certainly shan’t start this debate but it vexes me endlessly to know the potential talent coming out of Formello but that isn’t being used. Who knows if Perpetuini or Faraoni could have been useful in this situation? Is it so unfeasible for Barreto or Ceccarelli to step up and have a go? They can’t be worse than Foggia anyway.

In other news Libor Kozák has been rewarded for his fine recent form with a new contract extension which will tie him to us until 2015 (with I imagine an increase in salary)

Apologies for the short blog this week but my internet is out which means a) spending far too much time in my local Wi-Fi café and b) I’ll be unable to watch the game tomorrow night barring a miracle so I’ll be relying on you good people to give me a fine round-up of the events and your conclusions from the game, as you always do. Finally to all those who wrote an application to join me here, thanks but I have no info yet as to what will happen as I certainly am not the boss around here.

S.S. Lazio vs. U.S. Città di Palermo

Stadio Olimpico

Sunday 6 March

20:45 C.E.T.

Forza Lazio!

Without creating too much we dominated possession and the play in an away match and I was personally very pleased to see Gonzalez rewarded for his efforts with his debut goal in Serie A and to see Kozák continue his personal good form with a fine towering header to seal the win.

Unfortunately due to a bit of moving and then losing my internet I was not able to see the match against Bari but by all accounts we should have scored a fair few more but as I missed the game I was just happy to see three points. Hernanes scored a fine finish and I think it’s just what he needed after his miserable Brazil experience.

With the League table reading Milan 55; Napoli 52, Inter 50; Lazio 48; Udinese 44 it is clear that our Champions League ambitions are alive and well even if the squad are, perhaps rightly, trying to underplay our chances. It would seem that the title is a long gone dream but to use a cliché, football is a funny old game and you never know what can happen; if Milan do collapse it’s unlikely to be left to us to pick up the pieces but if we can stay in the pack anything can happen.

With Cagliari beating all the teams around and below them (Bari 2-1; Sampdoria 1-0; Chievo 4-1)    and only losing to the top 6 teams (Juventus 1-3; Inter 0-1; Rioma 0-3) we have to remind them why we’re up there with a professional win. They’re still missing Matri and we have an opportunity to play them when they may still be figuring out a new system. They are certainly no spent force attack wise despite the loss, they still have nose for a goal Bobby Freshwater (Acquafresca), Nenê has a decent eye for goal (hat-trick against Catania in December and 2^nd highest goalscorer for Cagliari last season with eight) and a rounded technical game and Cossu was one injury away from going to the World Cup in the summer (although with 2010 Lippi, that doesn’t count for much), he’s their trequartista and a fine one too. Mix that with the spirit and defensive qualities of Biondini, Astori, Canini and the all-round game of Lazzari in midfield and you have an outfit that merit their top 10 standing this season. If you’re wondering why you see white handkerchiefs flying at the game, there is a fan protest due to the very poor refereeing they’ve been subject to recently (notably Inter’s goal at the weekend) so let’s hope the refs don’t make us pay for their misfortune.

We will unfortunately definitely be missing Fernando Muslera for our next two games (Cagliari and Palermo) with an ankle problem which will mean Berni stepping up. I can’t decide if I rate this guy really although he wasn’t great during the Coppa Italia derby. Nevertheless he will be between the sticks so let’s hope he can step up. Nando is pencilled in to be back in the time for the derby (13/03) so fingers crossed. In other injury news, it doesn’t look like Mauri will be back for the trip to Sardegna and as he still not training with the first team I don’t know how likely a return for the Palermo game will be. However we perform I believe we miss him and on a personal level he needs to play to cement a role in the Nazionale, one he deserves. Diakité and Rocchi are still not training with the first team, but Mobido is expected back next week. Dias hasn’t been training this week but he is still expected to be fit in time for the weekend but if not Reja has been experimenting with Radu in the middle and Garrido on the left. Yes, Garrido on the left, does that mean he’s fit, who knows?

In case you wondered what Javier looks like.

As far as the rest of the team is concerned, I’m pleased to see that the Matuzalém – Ledesma partnership will remain, Hernanes in front of them and Gonzalez working the right flank. Here’s where it gets interesting however, we finally have a selection headache with our forward options. Reja seems to prefer Sculli to Zárate for the moment which certainly is a nice choice to make and they both certainly bring different things to the table. Up front the dilemma is the protégé Kozák vs. the newly fit experienced playmaker forward Floccari. If Reja sticks with what’s working (and scoring) and plays Libor then I think Sculli will complement him nicely; if he goes with Sergio however I do believe Zárate to be a better foil for his clever runs and touches.

A quick update on the Primavera. You may have seen a disastrous result for our kids losing the derby 7-1. You unfortunately did read that correctly; after going in at half-time 3-0 down, Tommaso Ceccarelli injected some hope with a goal but then the team capitulated horribly and conceded another 4 with nothing positive to take home from the game apart from our goal, which does lead us to the Torneo Viareggio. We have started this tournament very positively, opening with a 4-3 win against Grasshoppers of Switzerland and a notable hat-trick for our talentino Tommaso who seems to be confirming his stature at junior level. This good result was followed up by a better one against the youth team of Anderlecht who, as anyone who follows Belgian football will know, have a very good youth academy. They were soundly beaten 3-0 by our kids, with another goal for Ceccarelli, one for Nigerian midfielder Onazi and one for the striker Di Mario. The last match will see Lazio facing Torino where a draw will guarantee qualification as group winners.

In very brief transfer news, reports in Germany suggest that Lotito is sniffing around Hamburg’s Ruud van Nistelrooy, trying to bag him in a Julio Cruz style free next summer. No idea how much truth is in that one but I do like the idea. In a slightly more probable hypothesis, it is suggested that if we make it the golden land of the Champion’s League, we will buy Porto’s Uruguayan Jorge Fucile who will give us the quality in depth we would need at both fullback positions for such a campaign.

Finally, to those who wish to write on the blog; as you may have noticed (ahem) I do not post as regularly as I or you I’m sure would like. I need a hand. http://www.theoffside.com/bloggers is where to apply, please apply all who wish to contribute.

Cagliari Calcio vs. S.S. Lazio

Stadio Sant’Elia

Sunday 27 February

Forza Lazio!

Lazio: Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Biava, Dias, Radu (Scaloni 18); Brocchi, Matuzalém, Bresciano; Hernanes (Sculli 69); Zárate (Mauri 78), Kozák

Chievo: Sorrentino; Sardo (Morero 72), Frey, Cesar, Mantovani; Fernandes, Guana (Pulzetti 62), Jokic; Bogliacino; Pellissier, Moscardelli (Thereau 46)

Why? What is going wrong with our offensive moves? In the last match we had Zárate supporting Kozák with Hernanes just behind, playing the trequartista role in a more traditional attacking trident. This line-out has potential but it requires certain things to work.

Width: As Radu went off early Scaloni had to step into his ample boots and did not quite fill them. Now our wide play is certainly not an aspect of the game we need worry about too much; Lichtsteiner always gives 100% and is always an option on the right for the safe pass or to ask him to hurtle up the pitch. He certainly doesn’t have the quality of Maicon but he does share some characteristics and bombing forward is one. He is a permanent outlet, as is Radu when he plays but Scaloni is not a satisfactory replacement. When playing two up top, especially when one is Kozák you need width to stretch the opposition defence and we did not have enough against Chievo, but as I stated width isn’t our biggest problem, but when our wide play doesn’t work then we do tend to struggle.

Link-up play: Zárate was always finding the ball in wide areas (which is what happens when our usual wing players aren’t playing well) which completely takes Zárate out of the danger zones on the pitch. Kozák when isolated just does not have the experience to hold the ball up adequately or consistently take up the right positions; these things will come but we need it now. I am not going to pretend that it is just Zárate’s positioning which is contributing to his poor level of play currently. We cannot know if there are any personal problems between Zárate and Reja but it is evident that Mauro is not doing what Reja has mentioned publicly several times, which is play the ball quicker and play less selfishly. We need Mauro to remember what playing for a team means because he has the quality to make our attack tick.

Midfield: There has not been enough support from the midfield. Brocchi does more than he is asked to and whilst we cannot fault him for it, it should not be left to him to spark moves from midfield. Matuzalém has the potential to be that player but whilst he didn’t do anything wrong at the weekend he didn’t take any risks either. With Ledesma so out of form and Mauri on the bench (more on that later) Matuzalém needs to realise that he is meant to be the team’s metronome, prompting and carrying the ball and recently he hasn’t done either; static is the only word I would use to describe his performance last week. Bresciano also disappointed, but whether that was due to his own hesitance or instruction from Reja, he just did not break forward and support the attack enough. He didn’t make any mistakes but nor was he clinical at a couple of opportune moments either.

Mauri: We are missing Mauri badly. So why isn’t he playing (9 minutes against Milan, 13 against Chievo)? The official line was that he is tired and needs a short rest; this was a perfectly understandable excuse even if it meant missing the unique qualities he brings us. His drive, incisive and persistent passing, carrying the ball up the pitch and finding goalscoring positions are all vital for Lazio to win games consistently. He even has moments of true fantasia and it has been a joy to see him play like this for about a year now (since Reja came in). So surely we should completely trust Reja’s decision to rest him briefly, despite the concomitant downturn in performance.

If you saw Italy’s midweek game with Germany then you saw what all supporters of gli Azzurri have been waiting to see for a long time, a fluid one with incisive direct passing, all aided by one man who gave a quality performance. Mauri was all over the pitch creating spaces for Cassano and Pazzini to play their game and using the ball efficiently when he got it; he was taken off in the 73^rd min to be replaced by Giovinco.  The question is how can he not be fit enough to start three consecutive Lazio games but can play an international friendly? He will not be starting tomorrow as the club claims he is pain with an adductor problem and Mauri has backed this up but nevertheless this is a worrying situation and one I want to see resolved quickly.

Lazio had a few other players playing in the midweek internationals. You probably all saw Hernanes take a red card for a very silly and dangerous high foot to France’s match-winner Karim Benzema which put paid to his attempt to impress seleção coach Mano Menezes; so let’s hope he’s recovered as he said he didn’t sleep at all the night after the game. Libor Kozák helped the Czech Republic Under-21 team beat Holland 1-0 and Lichtsteiner played the full 90 for Switzerland against Malta in a disappointing 0-0 draw.

Onto this weekend and we will be heading to Lombardy and the Stadio Mario Rigamonti to take on Brescia Calcio. Brescia are coming off two decent results; a 1-1 draw at Rioma and a 2-0 home victory against Bari; but they are not sitting pretty in the league where they occupy 18th place a slot in the relegation zone. They have a couple of dangerous and technical midfielders, Cristiano Zanetti and Alessandro Diamanti and they have to be closed down and denied space if we don’t want a difficult afternoon tomorrow as they both have the potential to open a defence or crack in a long shot given the chance.

Probable line-up: (4-2-3-1): Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Biava, Dias, Scaloni; Ledesma, Matuzalém; Gonzalez, Hernanes, Sculli; Kozák.

Bench: Berni, Garrido, Bresciano, Brocchi, Foggia, Zárate, Floccari

The defence is the tried and trusted one (unfortunately missing Radu due to bruising on the knee) which does not make many mistakes. The midfield however certainly is novel. With a holding pair of Ledesma and Matuzalém the pressure on them to cover and create will be large; the absence of Brocchi means the hard running will not be there but there is the potential to have a very technically adept partnership that will move the ball well. This means the midfield pressure on the opposition will be coming from Gonzalez and Sculli and while I trust their energy levels the inclusion of both of them at the expense of either Mauri or Zárate means we might not be tricky enough to get through their defence. Lastly Kozák all alone up front is a recipe for disaster if he’s not given adequate support from the runners but Reja will be aware of this and will surely tell Hernanes to stay close to him. Floccari is fit enough for a role on the bench and it seems like Garrido will be as well (make of that what you will), throw Zárate, Bresciano, Brocchi and Foggia into the mix and we have a very high quality bench.

I said this last week and meant it and I say it now and mean it. This is a MUST WIN GAME. Nothing less than three points is acceptable. Rioma dropped points against two goal Cavani’s Napoli so we can probably forget about catching the Parthenopeans but we must compete tooth and nail for third or fourth and Inter are really our most direct competition now and I can certainly see them putting the final nail Juve’s Champions League ambitions for this season.

Finally, a piece of good news; Stefan Radu has extended his contract with us until June 2015 with a salary of €1.2m and bonuses. Also; I have been reading the posts, it’s good to see debate and a little forum for people to share their opinions, I have also noticed people asking me to consider certain contributors for the blog, and as soon as I open the process anybody who wishes to submit will be considered.

Brescia Calcio vs. S.S. Lazio

Stadio Mario Rigamonti

Sunday 13 February

15:00 C.E.T.

Forza Lazio!

Milan: Abbiati; Oddo, Bonera (Legrottaglie 46) (Papastathopoulos 84), Yepes, Antonini; Flamini, Thiago Silva, Emanuelson; Robinho; Pato (Cassano 63), Ibrahimović

Lazio: Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Dias, Biava, Radu; Brocchi, Ledesma, Gonzalez (Bresciano 74); Hernanes; Kozák, Sculli (Mauri 80)

As was commented on, this was a nail biting and long match but as the negatives were clear for all to see, I’ll play devil’s advocate and line out some positives. The actual defence was committed, solid and unflappable. There were dozens of last ditch tackles and blocks and I think we all saw the reaction of our defenders after the final whistle to see that they were happy with their effort. Dias was blocking everything thrown at him and Muslera was back to his best – I’m still convinced that that man has to be under the cosh to be at his best; we’ll have to wait for him to mature and stay concentrated when we have the ball.

The service afforded to Libor Kozák was limited at best but he was a nightmare (literally in Legrottaglie’s case) for the opposition defenders and if we’re not passing the ball around them, at least we’re bullying them. It was evident though that we won’t be scoring many goals if he is alone up front and without Mauri to feed him those peaches he has. Hernanes may be the better player but Stefano knows this league better and still the more incisive passer of the ball, long or short. That’s enough with the positives.

Unfortunately we are clearly missing Matuzalém as he brings a refinement to our passing game in the middle of the pitch. We are also badly missing Garrido; don’t misunderstand me, I think Radu is doing a sterling job but we are lacking an attacking full back on our bench and Javier was meant to be that man. I saw him play a fair bit for Manchester City last season and I’m sure he can do a job. This would also allow Stefan to move to the middle, which is his natural position, allowing us to rotate Biava and Dias from time to time.

Where does all this leave us after the mercato? After Cavanda’s loan, and Garrido and Del Nero’s injury problems, it leaves us, in my opinion, one man short at full back (Diakité is not a full back) when we really should have a full complement of defenders considering their versatility.

With the promising performances of González and the addition of Sculli, I certainly am happy with our midfielders, barring Matuzalém’s perpetual injury concerns. Speaking of Matuzalém, he looks to be back in the first eleven for our game with Chievo tomorrow, let’s hope he plays well and doesn’t pick up any knocks. I think we can all agree that Mauri and Hernanes have done very well for us and we can’t complain with Brocchi or Bresciano’s contributions this season.

The problems with our strike force have been done to death, but now the window is shut there really isn’t much to say anymore. Therefore we have to place our full confidence in them and hope that Floccari and Zárate can pull themselves out of their respective ruts (which are both occurring for obscure reasons) and hope that Kozák continues to improve as quickly as he has been. I do think Rocchi will be able to contribute when he comes back in a few weeks time even if his heart may not be fully in it anymore.

A.C. ChievoVerona are solidly mid-table, have won their last two games, one of them a tough fixture against Napoli and they will be no pushovers. We certainly have the better squad on paper but they have a team full of grinta, togetherness and with Sergio Pellissier they have a genuine assassin up front. He’s not on fire this season but if you give him a chance he’ll take it. No bones about it though, this is a must win game as these Champions League places have become über-competitive. I think we have seen that Napoli has what it takes to take it to the wire, Milan will most likely win the league, Inter are menacingly resurgent, Palermo remain a threat and of course, Rioma are still there and with a game in hand to boot. We are likely to line out in a fresh 4-3-1-2 line out, with Zárate supporting Kozák up front and Hernanes playing a traditional trequartista role. Matuzalém will be stepping into Ledesma’s boots next to Brocchi and we’ll be playing our first choice defence.

Probable line-up (4-3-1-2): Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Biava, Dias, Radu; Brocchi, Matuzalem, Mauri; Hernanes; Kozak, Zárate

Probable bench: Berni, Stendardo, Scaloni, Ledesma, Bresciano, Gonzalez, Sculli

Unavailable: Garrido, Diakité, Floccari, Rocchi, Meghni

A clarification from my last post, I stated that our new kid Ojiakor Chukwuemeka was Ghanaian, he is in fact Nigerian. We have also signed two other Nigerian kids; Ogenyi Onazi and Shehu Sani Emmanuel, the latter of which has a decent youth international pedigree and so I’m sure we’re all excited to see if they’ll be able to break into the first team.

Sani & Onazi (apparently)

Lastly, for those who have mentioned that they would like to offer a hand to this blog, I am going to go and discover the process for integrating new bloggers and I will post it here soon and then all who wish to apply may do so.

S.S. Lazio vs. A.C. ChievoVerona

Stadio Olimpico

Sunday 6 February

15:00 C.E.T.

I don’t think we need to dredge up everything from the derby, the bitter poison having mostly departed, but I will say this: When are we going to catch a break? We dominated that game pretty much from start to finish (especially the first half) but just could not capitalise (a recurring issue). On the other hand, when is Rioma’s luck going to run out? Who knows but at this moment it is getting ridiculous. When even self-avowed Rioma fans are publicly admitting (James Richardson of the Guardian and ex-Football Italia presenter for example) that their luck has to end soon you know it’s too much. Rioma have now had 3 penalties awarded against us this season and the only one I can agree with was the one we saw last week. The little drop of lady luck for Simplicio’s goal was merely the salt in the wound.

What was most disappointing was that on the day we were the much better team, our control of the ball was sharper, we made more chances but that doesn’t change the result and it is just another bitter pill that we have to swallow. Goodbye la Coppa Italia.

The Bologna game, however, was a bloody shambles. For the first time this season I’ve seen Dias have an awful game, which really makes you realise how influential he is on our team currently. I switched off with 5 minutes to go I was so angry at the way our discipline crumbled, turned it on again just to see Di Vaio put the finishing touches on our Scudetto hopes. Of course, Mudingayi was quality against us and we deserved the loss completely. We’ve only turned in 3 or 4 genuinely poor performances all season and that was one of them. The passing was literally all over the place, the defending embarrassing and the finishing (particularly by Zárate) was woeful. The only positive was seeing Sergio back on the scorecard with a delightful goal.

This weekend against Fiorentina was certainly a better result and performance but I believe it just masked some shortfalls in our squad. We had dozens of chances, the passing was crisp and decent and we allowed Fiorentina very few chances but don’t let anybody fool you into thinking that that was a good Fiorentina side, they’ve been poor all season and they were shocking against us on Saturday. I must say I was delighted to see Kozák get his name on the score sheet, but I was most pleased with the nature of the second goal. You could see how happy Sculli was to have helped the team because before Saturday he had endured a miserable beginning to his Lazio career. It was a quality chipped cross for a Sunday school finish to Kozák. It’s starting to look like Libor is a genuine poacher, and if that’s the case we have to make sure the midfield gives him quality to feed on because he has shown that he’ll put away every easy chance.

I have an unfortunate sneaky suspicion though that these goals from Kozák have persuaded Lotito to not spend on another striker as we are currently the 31^st and unless a bombshell is dropping this evening, our mercato business is done. We signed a couple of youngsters but unfortunately I can’t give you anything more solid about them than this: Ojiakor Chukwuemeka is a 21 year old Ghanaian defensive midfielder who to date has only ever played for the Primavera at Triestina. The other is young 18 year old goalkeeper Lorenzo Mosciatti, signed from Tor Sapienza, a local Roman team so chances are he’s a local lad.

We have also loaned out our young Belgian Cavanda to Torino on loan until the end of the season which I can understand in the context of giving the boy some playing time but as we didn’t sign Ziegler we might end up looking light at full-back (I’m looking at you Garrido, where are you?).

So we enter February with a lighter squad as we have brought one man in, let one go but we have lots of injury worries currently so we’re really going to have to hope that Reja has approved this and knows what he’s doing.

And tonight we have A.C. Milan at the San Siro.

Due to injuries, suspension and tiredness, this is the squad we’re looking at tonight:

LAZIO (4-3-1-2): 86 Muslera; 2 Lichtsteiner, 3 Dias, 20 Biava, 26 Radu; 32 Brocchi, 24 Ledesma, 15 Gonzalez; 8 Hernanes; 18 Kozák, 77 Sculli

Squad: 12 Berni, 13 Stendardo, 5 Scaloni, 6 Mauri, 23 Bresciano, 11 Matuzalem, 17 Foggia

Notice the total absence of strikers on our bench, but at least we have Mauri to bring on to change the game in the second half.

MILAN (4-3-1-2): 32 Abbiati; 17 Oddo, 25 Bonera, 76 Yepes, 77 Antonini; 16 Flamini, 33 Thiago Silva, 28 Emanuelson; 70 Robinho; 7 Pato, 11 Ibrahimović

Squad: 30 Roma, 35 Dídac, 15 Sokratis, 66 Legrottaglie, 52 Merkel, 18 Jankulovski, 99 Cassano

Milan are also struggling badly with injuries, particularly at the back so I really believe despite the gulf between Ibrahimović and most of the rest of Serie A, I think we can get more than just a result tonight. The Lazio staff are talking up our chances and how we will be aggressive tonight, let’s hope that that will be the case. More importantly, if it is the case then let’s be more precise with our finishing tonight.

Lastly, let me just apologise again for the tardiness of this edition, like I said I have had an unbelievably hectic and tiring week but I’ll be back later this week before the weekend. I would also like to quickly reiterate that if anyone wants to help on this blog it would be more than welcome, I would love this blog to have 2+ posts a week but currently that is just impossible.

A.C. Milan vs S.S. Lazio

San Siro

Tuesday 1 February

20:45 C.E.T.

We bagged the right result this weekend and I’m so glad that Kozák proved me and Tare wrong.

Lazio: Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Dias, Diakité, Scaloni; Brocchi (Gonzalez 77), Ledesma, Hernanes (Foggia 90); Mauri; Floccari (Kozák 77); Zárate

Sampdoria: Curci; Dessena, Volta, Accardi, Ziegler; Koman, Tissone (Poli 68), Palombo, Guberti (Mannini 76); Pazzini, Pozzi (Macheda 71)

Bookings:  Lichtsteiner (L), Kozák (L); Dessena (S), Accardi (S), Pazzini (S)

We dominated the game on Sunday without ever really imposing our passing game on the match but we were playing against a team designed to stifle and we were up against a defence which is equal to ours in terms of goals conceded this season. So negativity is not needed, we got the win and there were positives to boot.

Libor Kozák gave us exactly what we needed, when we needed it. Floccari’s form is a topic for another day but when he wasn’t doing it, Libor stepped up in the way a substitute striker needs to. It remains to be seen whether he’s done enough to keep his status but it’s an encouraging sign for this season. Personally I also felt that Diakité was a beast on Sunday, it was the type of performance I’ve been hoping for from him. What I want from him is consistency; let’s hope he can give it to us.

In other news, Giuseppe Sculli is a Lazio player; he will take the number 77 (7+7=14, his preferred number) and he has cost €3.5m which will paid in two instalments. And yes, he is available tonight.

What’s happening tonight then?

There’s not been the same build-up at all as this is a cup match which means that normally there won’t be first elevens out there. But make no mistake, the pride is at stake and by God some revenge for the last derby would be sweet. So let’s hope to see the wolves leaving la Coppa and let the eagle soar. And judging by the predicted teams there will be strong teams on display tonight.

Team news:

ROMA (4-3-1-2): 27 Julio Sergio; 87 Rosi, 29 N. Burdisso, 5 Mexes, 17 Riise; 16 De Rossi, 30 Simplicio, 20 Perrotta; 94 Menez; 22 Borriello, 9 Vucinic.

Squad:  (32 Doni, 77 Cassetti, 25 G. Burdisso, 4 Juan, 23 Greco, 33 Brighi, 8 Adriano) – Ranieri

Injured: Pizarro

Suspended: Totti

LAZIO (4-3-1-2): 12 Berni; 2 Lichtsteiner, 3 Dias, 20 Biava, 26 Radu; 32 Brocchi, 24 Ledesma, 15 Gonzalez; 8 Hernanes; 18 Kozak, 10 Zarate.

Squad: (1 Bizzarri, 21 Diakitè, 5 Scaloni, 23 Bresciano, 6 Mauri, 22 Floccari, 77 Sculli) – Reja

Injured: Rocchi, Matuzalém, Garrido

Suspended: n/a

Coppa Italia

A.S. Roma vs. S.S. Lazio

Stadio Olimpico

Wednesday 19 January

20:45 C.E.T.

FORZA LAZIO!!!!

So what has January had in store for us so far? Well I had somehow forgotten that the 6^th of January is a religious holiday in Italy and therefore missed this match but for all those who took time on their day of rest will have been disappointed to not see any goals.

Genoa:  Eduardo; Mesto, Kaladze, Dainelli, Criscito; Rafinha, Milanetto, Rossi; Jankovic (Moretti 86); Destro (Boakye 89), Toni

Lazio:  Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Biava, Dias, Radu; Ledesma, Brocchi (Matuzalém 76); Zárate, Hernanes (Bresciano 83), Mauri; Floccari (Kozák 87)

Bookings:   Dias (L), Biava (L)

The month kicked-off with what by all accounts was a dull but not too shameful away goalless draw at Genoa. Lazio only had a few chances but a couple did look golden and maybe should have been dealt with. From what you guys have posted we were seemingly under heavy pressure for the last portion of the game but then you could argue that we were away at a team with whom we thought we would be competing with this season. So this season still can depend on context.

Lazio:  Muslera; Lichtsteiner (Foggia 85), Stendardo, Biava, Radu; Ledesma, Brocchi; Zárate, Hernanes (Bresciano 68), Mauri (Kozák 75); Floccari

Lecce:  Rosati; Gustavo, Tomovic, Fabiano, Mesbah; Grossmüller, (Ferrario 86), Vives, Bertolacci (Coppola 69); Munari, Jeda; Ofere (Corvia 36)

Bookings:  Biava (L), Mauri (L), Munari (Le), Grossmüller (Le)

A few days later however and real misery was piled on our heads, to go with a dose of shame. It should have been a great occasion, Lazio’s 111^th birthday and a day to celebrate. What actually happened was that Lecce instead led the celebrations by recording their 100^th Serie A win (according to the commentator) whilst we turned in a performance as bad as the one at Cesena, except this time we had pretty much our first team out there.

There certainly was some bad luck involved but it was no excuse for the overall result, we made good chances and the finishing wasn’t up to scratch and the lack of concentration for their second goal was of a team that was losing the last 5 minutes of a cup final and not one that still had 20 minutes to equalise.

This match emphasised one thing: we urgently need a substitute striker. I still believe that our starting forwards are good enough but Kozák is just not yet at a level where he can sufficiently aid the team. We probably should have loaned him out and we certainly should have somebody on the books who can take the goalscoring pressure off of Zárate and Floccari. I personally still have faith in our boy Rocchi but whether that is shared by Reja or even by himself is another story.

Who could this man be? For a long while the name Roque Santa Cruz was the most bandied about and as I see almost as much English football as I do Italian I must say I wasn’t too enamoured with the prospect. No matter, he has joined Blackburn Rovers on loan. Other names linked are Georgios Samaras, Giuseppe Sculli, Pablo Granoche, Miroslav Klose, Erjon Bogdani and David Trezeguet. Some of these are clearly paper talk (such as Trezeguet, despite Hércules’ financial difficulties), Klose (who has mentioned several clubs who interest him). Samaras has stated he wants to leave Celtic but I think the press may have just put 2 and 2 together with this story; I don’t think we could pay him what he wants, he wouldn’t be satisfied on the bench and finally, he is awful. I really hope we don’t get him. Chievo have denied any Lazio approach for Granoche (a Uruguayan with a very poor scoring record) and the less said about Bogdani the better (Tare pt. II perhaps?).

That leaves the Calabrese Sculli. Now this deal seems very real and may almost be done. Tare says he’s in the final stages but then he says a lot of things. Sculli is not what we would be expecting as an incoming player as he more of an attacking midfielder/forward than an out and out striker but this could mean that Tare is speaking the truth when he says that we will bring in another attacker. What I could potentially see Sculli doing is filling in for Mauri when he’s tired or to play in Zárate’s current position allowing Mauro to operate more centrally. Let’s hope we can bring in Sculli from Genoa and get someone else in. Let’s also hope our good luck with Genoa purchases continues as Floccari and Biava have both been successes.

Tomorrow we may well have another homecoming in Lazio youth product Federico ‘Chicco’ Macheda coming back to the Olimpico for the first time, unfortunately wearing a different shade of blue. It is a shame we couldn’t have brought him in on loan as he might well have been the exact player we’re looking for currently but understandably would have been too fraught with difficulties. Also I don’t think I could bear watching him do well for us just to lose him again.

Last time we played Sampdoria we had to face a raging bull on the first day of the season, with Pazzini (now there’s a striker I wouldn’t mind getting in the mercato) and Cassano desperate to win a game. Now they’re just coming out of a rut whilst we need to put a stop to our poor form before it becomes a rut. They beat the 2^nd team of Rome 2-1 last week but before that were in a Cassano mired pit of poor form. They have to learn to play without him and if they think Macheda is the guy to replace him I’ll be surprised. So let’s hope they’re still adjusting as a win is what we need at the moment.

Unfortunately we will be missing our left-footed (Omar) Radu to a fever which means we are presently looking to Scaloni to fill in. Honestly, I was not happy to see him return to the squad this summer but everybody deserves a chance and tomorrow will be his. Cavanda and Del Nero have also been called and may feature at left back. Garrido has not even been selected for the match day squad, if anybody knows anything about the man who is fast turning into a pure sicknote I’d love to hear it. Biava is not in the squad either as he is unfortunately suspended again so we will most likely see Diakité partnering Dias at the back.

Probable line-up:

Muslera;

Lichtsteiner, Diakité, Dias, Scaloni;

Brocchi, Ledesma;

Zárate, Hernanes, Mauri;

Floccari

I would like to also make an addendum to a point I made about Internazionale last week. I said that I am not considering their Scudetto and league ambitions until I see a bit of Leonardo’s Inter. Well we’ve seen it now and, yup, they’re back. Which just makes everything that bit harder. Shame we helped to get rid of Benitez.

Finally let me say this on the blog here. There is a continuation; just it will not be the same as before as I said. I perhaps wasn’t clear at the beginning. I will get something up every calendar week but more frequently than that is not going to be easy. If anyone really, genuinely, wants to help please let me know about it and we’ll see what we can do. I do hope you enjoy it but I understand if you are not as sated as before with Lazio news. I will try and do more than one post a week but cannot guarantee it at all. Just believe me when I say there will be something every calendar week, so don’t panic.  And as noted in the comments there are plenty of people doing good work out there too so don’t neglect them. There is a continuation of the Lazio offside. Ciao belli.

S.S. Lazio vs. U.C. Sampdoria

Stadio Olimpico

Sunday 16^th January 2011

15:00 C.E.T.

Hernanes has claimed 2^nd place in the Brazilian Samba d’Oro 2010 awards for the best Brazilian footballers playing in Europe – Maicon (Internazionale) came in first and Thiago Silva (AC Milan) in third. When you consider that Hernanes has only been in Europe since the summer, has been understandably tired and didn’t feature for the Seleção at the World Cup, this is quite an achievement. On second thoughts, missing the WC might have helped him back home, who knows?

Riccardo Perpetuini has left us for the south-east and Zeman’s spiritual home of Foggia. Let’s wish the kid all the best as I think the old maestro could use a passer of the ball like our Riccardo. It’s not official yet but he is already training with the Lega Pro side and has spoken to the press of his determination to do well, in bocca al lupo Ricca’.

So where does all this leave Lazio? Well, exactly where we were two weeks ago, there have not been any additions to the squad yet and as sad as I am to see Perpetuini leave us, it’s not like he was an integral squad member. Thus we shall imagine for a moment that our squad will remain unchanged for the month of January and we shall dream of what can be accomplished.

WHO ARE WE?

We are Lazio and we are challenging for the top spots in Italy. To finish outside of the Champions League places now would be more than bitterly disappointing and quite frankly I would be rather peeved at anything lower than third. That is not to dismiss the qualities of our rivals but acknowledge our own qualities. I remember this point last year telling people that Lichtsteiner was a steam train that never run out of coal, that Radu has the potential to be one of Europe’s great defenders, that Ledesma, despite not playing, was a metronome of superior quality and that Muslera was the finest keeper under the age of 25 in the game. But who would have believed me then? We are now January 2011.

Fernando Muslera showed everybody at the World Cup his qualities (and failings) and to be honest he has not been up to par this season, which truly is a testament to the qualities of our new centre-back pairing. We now have Biava and Dias anchoring the back line giving us the 4^th tightest defence in the league, which is a wonderful change from last season. I can remember off the top of my head individual errors from Cavanda and Muslera and without those we would be even better but if there’s one thing you can guarantee from young footballers it is occasional inconsistency.

Lichti has had the season we expected from him – and more. He gave us the running we have grown accustomed to, hence his nickname ‘Forrest Gump’, but he has grown in terms of defensive solidity and attacking prowess. I think we may owe a small debt of gratitude to Ottmar Hitzfeld for the former as our boy is also a mainstay of the Swiss national team these days too.

Radu has confirmed everything we thought about the boy and more. I don’t remember him playing his favoured centre-back role once all season yet he has been as steady as a rock and has the nous and confidence to make up for the things he lacks to be a truly great full-back. He’s not fast so he must use superior positioning to stay strong. He’s not left-footed either but I very rarely see that affect his game. I do sometimes wonder what we would look like a natural left-back but I fully understand Reja for not changing a winning formula. Let’s just hope that he stays long enough to replace Biava in the future as I can assure it’s not just the Lazio faithful who know about Radu’s qualities, Chelsea and Barcelona are just two teams regularly linked to him.

Ledesma – the conundrum. What to do eh? Until mid-November I thought we had our own Xavi-lite in the middle of the park. Of course, let’s not exaggerate, he is not Xavi but damn he can keep the ball well and he doesn’t shirk a tackle either. But something has happened. Whether it is a contract issue, an understandable unease in relations with the boardroom or a simple loss of form, Ledesma has been off the pace at the same time that Matuzalém has rediscovered his. I personally would love to keep the guy as I think the competition they provide each other is exactly what a squad dreaming of high places needs.

WHERE ARE WE?

The rest of the team tells different stories, this time last year Biava, Dias & Floccari were all new arrivals and therefore unknown quantities, and boy have they all come good. Reja came in February and immediately revitalised Mauri, if not yet the whole team. So now we have an almost watertight defence, a top quality midfield and attack partnership, when the first team is on the pitch. Oh, and who could forget the prophet who links these two things together with a little samba? Not to take any credit away from the other players of course, and one could also argue that so far Mauri has been better than Hernanes, but I think the act of purchasing a big-name player reminded the team that this is Lazio, this is a big team and we should all be doing a damn sight better.

Where are we? Joint second, three points off top spot (Napoli are one goal better than us in goal difference) and with the potential to fight all the way to the finish line as long as we a) don’t get an injury curse or b) solidify the squad enough in this window. Maybe I trust our boys too much but I don’t think we need a new striker unless he’s happy to be third choice.

WHAT ARE WE UP AGAINST?

Here comes the hard part, we will have a LOT of competition for any prize worth having this year. First things first – the Scudetto. IF we are to win this (and it is an if, albeit a small one) then obviously AC Milan are the prime opponents. And off the bat, they’re marginally stronger than us all over the park, except in attack where they are considerably stronger than us (he’s called Zlatan in case you were wondering). But there are a couple of things to cling on to; we know how much affection AC holds for the ECL and if they beat the Spurs then they may switch their priorities to that competition. This however is not a guarantee as they haven’t won the league since 2004. The other possibility is that old boys like Nesta, Ambrosini, Gattuso, Abbiati and Seedorf might begin to creak or tire. Lastly, there are a lot of combustible characters in their changing room and we all know what to do when you have a potential firecracker of a dressing room – throw Cassano into the mix. So we’ll see.

More realistically I think our rivals will be Napoli, Juventus, Palermo and sadly, but inevitably, Rioma.

Briefly, I think we’ll go toe to toe with our Parthenopean rivals until the end, Cavani and Lavezzi are rampant this season and will probably continue to paper over their few, if significant, cracks. The UEFA Cup is going to take it out of them though as they are desperate to make an impression on Europe as pride and la bella figura are very important things to the Neapolitans. If they keep winning games in the 90^th to 97^th minutes though, they’ll soon tire.

Juventus are Juventus. They will always cast their ominous black and white shadow over the league and their squad is certainly stronger and deeper than ours. However I think our first 11 is the stronger of the two, although that may well change when Buffon is back, which will be very soon, but they’ll still be rancid at full back, and Bonucci is still raw. Underestimate them at your peril though. Even with that guy in charge…

Palermo have some wonderful talents in the likes of Miccoli, Pastore and Iličič but whether they’re strong enough to go the distance is something we’ll have to see. It certainly cannot help Delio Rossi having that blowhard Zamparini blaring in his ear all season long.

Now before you think I’ve gone crazy, I haven’t written off Internazionale but I’m reserving any comment on them until I’ve seen what Leonardo has in store for us.

To end this segment on a sour note, we have to mention the resurgence of the 2^nd team of the capital. Atletico Roma Football Club are soaring up the Lega Pro Prima Divisione – Girone B and have a tough match down south in Taranto, but not to worry they’re in full fighting form having recently knocked local rivals A.S. Rioma off their perch with a thrilling 3-2 victory. Highlights right here:

THE FIRST STEP – GENOA

Thursday the 6^th January, at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris we’ll see if the turkey, wine and zampone have had a good or bad effect on our boys. According to our brothers at La Lazio siamo noi we’ll be playing, surprise surprise, a 4-2-3-1 consisting of:

MUSLERA

LICHTSTEINER, BIAVA, DIAS, RADU

BROCCHI, LEDESMA

ZARATE, HERNANES, MAURI

FLOCCARI

There are some side stories to this game; Floccari will be desperate to score considering how quickly he was discarded by Genoa and of course we’ll be seeing Ballardini again. Our opponents are still worried by the injury problems which have hampered their season and they have been seriously weakened by the loss of Ranocchia to Inter this week so this is a match where we should in theory be punishing them. However sooner or later all of their glamorous signings have to gel so we must be vigilant that it doesn’t happen tomorrow. I’m going to arrogantly predict a comfortable win for our boys, to remind everyone that we are in this race for the return leg as well.

Genoa Cricket and Football Club vs. S.S. Lazio

Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris

Thursday 6^th January 2011

15:00 C.E.T.

FORZA LAZIO!!