Looking good...

Two solid victories against sides that were essential to beat have put Lazio 4 points clear in fourth place. I mentioned the importance of getting results in this run of fixtures earlier and there have been many positives to take from these two fixtures. However, I'll focus more on yesterday's encounter against Bari.

Result: Lazio 1-0 Bari

POSITIVES

• Dictating the play: Lazio showed absolute dominance, particularly in the first half, with impressive passing and movement restricting Bari to very little time on the ball. When they did have the ball, Lazio's pressed well and tireless running from the midfield left them no option but the ineffectual long-ball tactic. The defence held firm, and there seemed an improvement on the link between midfield and attack. The stats back this up: We enjoyed 60% of possession and managed 21 attempts on goal to Bari's 3.
  
• Matuzalem & Ledesma: I have to say, I had worries that these two wouldn't be compatible. However, the last two games seem to have proved me wrong. Accurate, incisive passing whilst in possession and tenacious tackling and pressing when off the ball made these two stand out for me. They are by no means the finished article yet, but with more time playing alongside one another they could become a real force for us.
  
• Hernanes: Our Brazilian maestro was back to his best yesterday. His goal was fantastic, a sublime volley that showed his real class to finish a smooth attack from the biancoceleste. For the rest of the match he was at the centre of all our attacks, constantly threatening from range and spraying passes around the pitch beautifully. Perhaps should've passed on a couple of occasions rather than gone for goal, but it is good to see him playing confidently and with real flair.
  

NEGATIVES

• The scoreline: This is, by far, the biggest worry. Everything I've mentioned so far has shown the dominance Lazio enjoyed during this game, yet we only won due to a moment of magic from Hernanes. At any point Bari could've sneaked an equaliser (Chievo?) and seen all our good work go to waste. The biggest worry here is that if we can't manage to capitalise on our chances against Bari, Brescia and Chievo, how are we possibly supposed to be confident of results in our vital ties against Roma, Juventus, Napoli, Inter etc?
  
• Reja?: Now don't get me wrong; I'm not here to criticise Reja. I think he has done a great job and it would be wrong to have a go at him after two wins on the trot. However, laziale have expressed frustrations over the continued absence of Zarate and Floccari in the side. Kozak's record has been good lately and he is a handful for defenders, but a goal machine he is not. Granted, Floccari hasn't exactly fitted that description either this season but I would still prefer to see him start, with the option of Kozak as an impact substitute. Zarate, however, is more of a dilemma. The problem for me is seeing where he would fit in to this side at the moment. For the last ten minutes against Bari he was ineffective, wasting possession by refusing to pass. The most obvious idea is to drop Sculli for him but I think Giuseppe has been performing admirably out wide and Zarate's selfishness on the ball wouldn't allow him to play the same role. However, there is no denying that Maurito is capable of turning a match by himself, something Sculli can't really claim, so Reja will need to sort this out himself. I think we need to unleash Zarate in the big matches, make him prove a point.
  

CONCLUSION

Two good wins, and a vital six points. However, things look like they will become more complicated. We need a more incisive attack, and the longer Zarate and Floccari stay benched, the more likely there will be unrest in the dressing room and amongst the fans. Also, the imminent return of Mauri may be a turning point. Hopefully he will return the player we saw at the start of the season, but I really want the Ledesma/Matuzalem pairing to be given time so I hope this isn't disrupted. My solution? Try this at Cagliari and see what happens:

Muslera

Lichtsteiner Biava Dias Radu

Ledesma Matuzalem Mauri

Hernanes Zarate

Floccari

 

Just an idea. There are several problems with this though: Kozak would arguably be a more effective hold-up striker. Dropping Sculli would lose our width and risk letting Hernanes and Zarate be marked out of the game. Also, dropping the tireless Gonzalez would reduce our effectiveness down the right flank, putting a lot more importance on the running of Lichtsteiner.

However, this could be countered with either Ledesma or Matuzalem anchoring while Lichty breaks, and telling Mauri to stick more to the line than usual could create problems for the opposition. This midfield three would be one of the finest in Serie A in terms of passing and creativity, and the danger they pose themselves would hopefully allow Hernanes and Zarate to roam between the lines and draw out the defence, making through balls/ balls over the top to Floccari a very real danger. I believe this system would work given practice, and possibly go some way to finally making us more incisive in front of goal. 21 shots against the worst team in the league and only scoring 1 goal isn't good enough. Let me know your thoughts!

 

FORZA LAZIO

Apologies...

First of all I need to apologise for my lengthy drought of posting, I've found myself rather busy lately but hopefully will be back on track now. During my absence a lot has happened in the world of Lazio. I'll briefly summarise:

Roma 2-1 Lazio (Coppa Italia): Incredibly frustrating game in which we dominated possession but could find no killer finish, Roma relying on luck alone to bring them through.

Bologna 3-1 Lazio: The less said the better; a result that underlined the holes in our squad and the dip in our form.

Lazio 2-0 Fiorentina: A much more pleasing performance. Still not great, with Ledesma playing worryingly badly, but a good result and a great brace from that man Kozak. Bear in mind, however, that this is a Viola side with a lot of problems, and in the midst of a minor crisis.

AC Milan 0-0 Lazio: A backs to the wall job that saw us rather fortunately escape from the San Siro with a point. Ibrahimovic hitting both posts with one shot says it all. A promising defensive performance though.

Lazio 1-1 Chievo: The first of a string of fixtures in which we must rediscover our form. Frustratingly, we dictated play but struggled to find a goal. A fine strike from Hernanes set us up well before a lapse of concentration let the Flying Donkeys back into the game. There was a worrying lack of invention up front as we struggled to cope with Chievo's impressive pressing game, often resorting to long ball tactics. This needs to be remedied, as although we are currently without Floccari or Rocchi, I doubt their return will suddenly spark a barrage of goals. If we have aspirations of a top four finish this season, this is the kind of game we need to be taking three points from. Don't get me wrong, Chievo aren't a bad side as they proved by beating Napoli last Wednesday, but Serie A is extremely competitive this season and we must get maximum points from our next two fixtures against Brescia and Bari.

The transfer window also shut, with our only major signing being Giuseppe Sculli. I have liked what I've seen so far; he always looks dangerous from the left flank and is an extra creative force in a side lacking flair. However, he isn't a striker, and going into this transfer window it can't be denied that our one objective was to get a new striker. Thankfully, Kozak has stepped up rather well and although still very raw, he is a talent and uses his height and strength well. Perhaps a little too well for Milan's defensive line who had a torrid time on Wednesday, Kozak smashing Bonera's cheekbone before clashing with Nicola Legrottaglie so badly that he said after he had feared for his life. Perhaps a little too physical, Libor...

It seemed to be the January of extortionate spending, as Juve dished out a casual 18 million Euro for Cagliari's Alessandro Matri and Inter signed Ranocchia, Kharja, and Pazzini. Luca Toni also moved to the black and white side of Turin, and AC Milan boosted their already stellar attack with the signing of Antonio Cassano, before strengthening their squad with the additions of Urby Emanuelson, Nicola Legrottaglie, and Mark Van Bommel. The latter, predictably, was sent off on his debut. Ronaldinho waved goodbye to Serie A to return home with Flamengo, and to balance their squad Juventus shipped out Amauri to Parma. Sampdoria attempted to recover the loss of their Cassano-Pazzini strike force by bringing in Manchester United's ex-Lazio man Federico Macheda and Palermo's experienced Massimo Maccarone. Not quite the same though...

How Matri is worth 18 million is beyond me, but this is before I have even looked at the goings on in the English Premiership. It began with Man City's signing of Edin Dzeko for £27 million. Fair enough, he is a sought-after striker who was successful in the Bundesliga but relatively unproven otherwise, making this seem like a bit of a gamble. However, it's not like they can't afford it... Deadline day was eventful to say the least. After Fernando Torres had his initial transfer request rejected, Liverpool decided they had better cash in with Chelsea bidding. Cue a £50 million transfer to London for a player who was certainly worth that a couple of years ago, but surely not on recent form.

What ensued is the most ridiculous bit of transfer business I've ever witnessed. Liverpool, desperate for a replacement and with only a few hours to find one, seemingly gave a blank cheque to Newcastle United as they agreed a fee of £35 million for Andy Carroll. Yes, Andy Carroll. Carroll is now the most expensive British footballer ever and comes eighth in the list of all-time record transfers, above players like David Villa, Gigi Buffon, and Andriy Shevchenko. I'm not saying he is a bad player but this is absolutely crazy money, he has minimal experience in the Premiership and has been good, but by no means exceptional, for Newcastle. It is truly sickening that football has got to this stage, and if I were a Liverpool fan I doubt I would be very happy to have sold Torres to make a £15 million profit and replace him with Carroll. Anyway, enough ranting, I'm sure this has been talked to death already by most football fans!

So what have we got to look forward to? Well I certainly know what I'm excited about, Scotland vs. Northern Ireland tomorrow in the first game of the Home Nations Cup. After witnessing games like Newcastle's incredible comeback to 4-4 against Arsenal and Inter's 5-3 demolishing of Roma this weekend, I'm expecting this to be no less entertaining. Ok, that may be fairly ambitious but it is good to have the Home Nations running again, as it will prove useful match practice for the Tartan Army before we continue our march on Euro 2012. Other interesting international matches tomorrow include Denmark vs. England, Germany vs. Italy, Argentina vs. Portugal, and France vs. Brazil. I'll forgive you for not watching the Scotland game just this once.

That is all for now, so until next time...

FORZA LAZIO!

And..... FORZA SCOZIA!