Review of the Year: July – December

By: cathal | December 31st, 2008

Here is the second half of the Review of the Year:

July

Once Euro 2008 was on its way out, the mercato got lively or at least from a Lazio perspective it did. The first man to come in our doors was Kozak (at least I think it was Libor, I mean, nobody seemed to know when anything was official). Lollo and Tommaso headed off on their venture to China, Zauri ran quickly to Florence and JP finally made it to Rome. The renaissance of sorts was well underway. Oh, and there was also the arrival of some dude Zarate.

Highlight of the Month: Carrizo’s eventual waltz into Lazio.

* * * * *

August

With things now beginning to take shape, a new chapter in the history of our great club was about to begin. The likes of Matuzalem and Lichtsteiner were already impressing in friendlies and Foggia returned an enigma. We started our 2008-2009 campaign with a comfortable win against Benevento in the Coppa Italia. We then headed into the Serie A opener and after an emphatically crap first half, we demolished Cagliari. The summer had breathed life into Lazio and out of the doldrums we exited.

Highlight of the Month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGgY_1lxq2A&feature=related

* * * * *

September

The month got off to a quiet start (you might remember that baffling international break I ranted about). However, Spetember was quite simply the month of the Zarate Kid. Mauro helped Lazio to gun down Samp, Fiorentina and Torino in style. The only blip was a loss to Milan; a loss which flattered them in all honesty. Nevertheless, Lazio were at the table’s summit. It didn’t last, but then we never thought it would.

Highlight of the Month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6oL85WjLUw

* * * * *

October

Cracks in the Lazio system became increasingly apparent in October. After an easy turnover of Atalanta, Lazio came unstuck against a gritty Lecce side, managing only a point courtesy of Inzaghi. Bologna took us down later that month as did Napoli. We scraped past Chievo (thanks Mantovani) to end the month on a miniature high but life wasn’t rosy by any means.

Highlight of the Month: Mantovani’s finishing ability http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TtDrmpDt8w

* * * * *

November

Clean sheets against Catania and Siena got November off to a fine start although neither game was as comfortable as the scoreline suggested. I won’t mention what came next. Genoa managed to steal a point off us and we had little joy against Atalanta. A month that started off so well just continued to spiral into an abyss of despair. Slowly but surely we found ourselves losing touch with the big guns.

Highlight of the Month: Foggia’s goal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNVDkTNc5ZE

* * * * *

December

There are few things better than beating Milan at the San Siro (especially given its rarity for us) but we managed it in December. The feeling was immense but their archenemy brought us down to earth with a bang. We fought our balls off against Udinese earning the most unlikely of points and we plucked a win out of somewhere against Palermo. There were certainly worse months than December but still everything feels a bit up in the air.

Highlight of the Month: Milan and the emergence of Mobido http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5NSmq-W5s

* * * * *

2008: To conclude, 2008 was a refreshing change and seemingly a step in the right direction. This Lazio team has the ability to progress, we just have to give it the time it deserves. Goals for 2009? It would be nice to go far in the Coppa Italia, perhaps even winning it but a spot in the UEFA Cup is the least we hope for. It will be tough and no doubt it will be nerve-rackingly gut-wrenching but with the right mentality, our players can do it. Forza Lazio! Felice Anno Nuovo!

I’ll be back tomorrow with something.