Football Season Guide

Coach Pioli’s arrival at the helm of the team in the past campaign undoubtedly was a positive one for Lazio as they succeeded making it back to the third standing of the table for the first time in 8 seasons, also coming real close to obtaining some precious silverware, losing the Coppa Italia in the final clash against Juventus, the dominators of the Italian football. Having missed the second standing in the table by a few inches, the Eagles tried strengthening themselves over the summer there where they needed it most. In the defence and in the attack, that is. So, Hoedt was signed in from AZ and Patric from Barcelona while Kishna arrived from Ajax and Morrison from Cardiff City. While Hoedt could soon become a protagonist in the heart of the defence, the others are all expected to represent some valid alternatives to the regular players. Milinkovic-Savic, the latest arrival, from Racing Genk, could also be given some relevant playing time especially if Biglia, one of the main surprises in the past campaign alongside Felipe Anderson, had to be leaving, as it is being rumoured. While hiring some highly promising youngsters, Lazio have also let go several players who failed to impose themselves in the recent past, such as Pereirinha, Ederson and Novaretti, or had nothing more to ask from their permanence by the river Tiber, and this is the case of Ledesma and Sculli. So far, the most remarkable departure is represented by captain Mauri, who quit the club after 10 seasons due to his never-ending problems with match-fixing allegations. Thus, coach Pioli can be quite happy for no real protagonist was let go. However, the preseason has been far from promising for the Eagles, as they lost 4 friendlies in a row. A return to the usual 4-3-3 formation from the 3-4-3 previously adopted did not prove to be decisive as they were also defeated by Juventus in the first official game of the campaign, the Italian Super Cup. The Champions League play-offs against Bayer Leverkusen, if successful, could determine further investments in the transfer campaign. A defeat, on the other hand, could cause some downsizing of their ambitions.