There’s Only One…

By: cathal | March 10th, 2009

Rocchi Balboa.

In all seriousness, neither side were going anywhere until Tommaso’s (divine) intervention. The game was undoubtedly in the balance as both sides had created half chances and made good attacks. However, our captain (or not) was the difference as he scythed past defenders and coolly slotted the balls past Navarro in the Napoli goal. Another great win in our unlikely quest to reach Europe.

It was a strange Lazio performance to critique. Prior to the substitutions, I didn’t really feel anyone excelled except maybe for Muslera who made a few outstanding saves on the night. In saying that, no one was disastrous either so perhaps we now have a team that can battle and prevail in tough scenarios. Of course, it is still early days on the road to recovery but we’re no longer moving in steps. Now, we are leaping.

I’ll keep this short not because I’m a day or two late with the post but rather because the highlights, reaction, pictures and player ratings will speak for themselves. It was the result I sensed but not necessarily the one I expected. Forza Lazio!

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Reaction:

“It is normal to be unhappy at being left on the bench. The important thing is to give my all when I am needed and today we were successful.”

“For several reasons, I have played only half the games Lazio have contested. However, it is important that I express my quality when I play.” – Tommaso Rocchi

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“This victory is dedicated to the fans who were not allowed to be here tonight.”

“We are doing good, the results have finally arrived and that gives us confidence. We are happy as we played to our maximum.”

“We have found an equilibrium and defend with all we have. We kept our attention today and defended well as a result.” – Sebastiano Siviglia

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“I want to be a regular for Lazio and make the national team.” - Fernando Muslera

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Highlights:

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Pictures: http://www.piazzadellaliberta.it/gallery/?album=2&gallery=66

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Player Ratings:

Muslera – 8: Outstanding performance from the young man between the sticks. He made a couple of vital saves and looked foolproof throughout the game. His punch was a huge contributor to our first goal

Kolarov – 7.5: He has cemented his place in the left-back role with consistently impressive performances and with performances like these, he will silence the critics who poke fun at his defending capabilities.

Cribari – 7.5: Solid as a rock once again getting his head to every ball he could as he marshalled the backline perfectly. My only criticism was that he was eager to foul in dangerous positions.

Siviglia - 7: Like Emilson alongside him, he was relatively faultless all game and deserved the clean sheet.

Lichtsteiner – 7: He is still showing his class as a player but since his return from injury, he seems a bit too eager to impress. Not the best game of his this season but by no means the worst.

Foggia – 7: Pasquale was dire against Juve until we made the breakthrough and he was fairly bad until his classy assist to Tommaso gave us the lead. Even when he’s not at his best, he can still do damage.

Ledesma – 7: The usual solid but unspectacular Cristian. Nevertheless, if we are scoring goals and keeping clean sheets, he is doing something right.

Matuzalem – 7: Once again, I was happy with Francelino’s display. He steadied the defense and gave us that extra creativity to break down the opposition.

Brocchi – 7: I prefer Brocchi to Dabo and I’m now beginning to believe Ousmane will find it difficult to break into the side when fit. That slighly unorthodox right midfield position is doing Broc just fine.

Pandev – 6.5: Maybe it is a harsh score but I expect that little bit more from Goran. Clearly he was very fatigued and perhaps it is unfair to have a pop at him but it was undoubtedly a lacklustre performance.

Zarate – 6: Not at the races at all. He just seemed to be somewhere else.

Subs

Rocchi – 9: Simply sublime. I am one of those people who prefers to give man of the match honours to those who lasted ninety minutes but Tommaso was so far and above everyone else in terms of impact, he had to get it. He had to.

Mauri – 6: Underwhelming. Didn’t influence the game much.

De Silvestri – 5.5: I almost forgot he came on. Not the best twenty minutes he has played then.