Udinese – Lazio

By: cathal | December 13th, 2008

Lazio will tackle Udinese tomorrow in what promises to be a dogfight for the European placings. It should be an entertaining game given the fascinating implications that exist.

Don’t underestimate the importance of this tie. Both sides have hit a slump in recent weeks and as a result, both teams have slipped away from the pack chasing fourth in the table. Udinese are worse off than us having lost their last five league games which includes home fixtures against Chievo and Reggina. We have not had the happiest of times either but in saying that, we lost to the the current champions in Inter and the wily Genoa. Also, we had a high in the middle of the current crisis in the Coppa win against Milan. So we definitely have more to smile about than Udinese.

The problem with both sides is that our lethal attacks are being kept at bay while our defences are frequently exposed. A big disadvantage for us in this game is going to be the effect of injury and suspension on our performance. In defence we have quite a few worries. Kolarov, De Silvestri, Siviglia and Lichtsteiner could all be missing tomorrow. This leaves us with few alternatives. Rozehnal and Cribari seem certain to start at the back with Radu on the left. In the right back position, Belleri is set to take over if neither Lichti or Lollo can make it. However, there is a chance that Diakite could be fielded out there as Rossi has tested him on the right in friendly matches before and he has looked solid. It could be a very unusual defence but then again, perhaps some of the regulars will be fit in the nick of time.

It is widely believed that Delio may opt for a 4-4-2 formation. This is a fairly logical choice as Brocchi is out with suspension. Ledesma and Dabo should sit in the centre no matter what Delio selects. If we stick with the regular 4-3-1-2, I would expect Manfredini to line up alongside the duo with Mauri in front of them as trequartista. There is also the potential for a fit again Firmani to be given a place. If Delio chooses 4-4-2 then I would expect Foggia on the right but of course Dabo could be pushed out there. For the left slot, the obvious selection is Mauri but Del Nero is back again and he could be tried out there. It is the return to fitness of the Lazio fringe players that provides Delio with a midfield headache. Whatever midfield he picks, they will have to be capable of providing Zarate and Rocchi with chances. These two are most likely to start in attack although Pandev may just make it in time.

There are a lot of “ifs”, “buts” and “maybes” surrounding the Lazio team at the minute, but ultimately we need a team that will challenge the Udinese defence and stop the Udinese attack. The Zebrette will unleash the familiar three pronged attack tomorrow and the thought of our defence facing Di Natale, Quag and Pepe is truly horrific. However, without Zapata in defence, Udinese are susceptible to quick counter attacks as I have observed this season and with the right attitude we can get them. I saw Fiorentina do a lot of damage to them earlier this season with good use of a 4-4-2 formation. Perhaps Delio has been watching tapes of that game over and over and has formulated a masterplan. Who knows.

I genuinely believe this will be an exciting game of football. Neither side can afford to lose, in fact, neither side can afford to draw so I expect this to be anything but a drab affair. However, with all the little niggles in our squad, I would make Udinese the slight favourites. Hopefully the underdog status will serve us well. Forza Lazio!