When it comes to Champions League qualification, there probably isn’t another league quite as competitive as Serie A. Particularly after Italy conceded it’s fourth Champions League berth to Germany, when the Germans overtook the Italians in the UEFA coefficient ranking in 2011.
Previously, the top three teams were predetermined with Juventus, Inter and AC Milan usually occupying the top spots with the final spot up for grabs between Roma, Fiorentina, Lazio et al. Well, times have changed and the league has plateaued, specifically below the top two.
Last season also saw the likes of Torino and Parma shoving the big boys aside. Amidst the churn, few clubs have remained consistently good. Some would argue that these clubs have probably not gone beyond the cusp of breaking into true greatness. Lazio, is one such club.
The Roman side added players over the summer, shrewdly building their squad with intelligence. They didn’t make a splash. Instead, they addressed key areas in their team, consolidating their strengths and attending to their weaknesses. Stefan de Vrij arrived from Feyenoord for a meager €8.5 million. Dusan Basta and Marco Parolo were plucked from within the league and the towering Filip Djordjevic boarded the plane from Nantes after being signed on a free.
Claudio Lotito had done well to replace outgoing Vladimir Petkovic with Stefano Pioli, a coach who has had some trouble settling down at clubs, but seems to have settled in just fine on the blue side of Rome. Accustomed to Italian football, his amalgamation with the squad has resulted in building a resilient side which is quietly, but surely climbing up the table.
There appear to be many factors that have contributed towards Lazio’s ascent. Apart from being perspicacious in the summer transfer market, the deflection of attention to their cross-town rivals has surely helped. Roma have openly declared their ambitions of stopping Juventus from winning their fourth successive Scudetto. That, combined with playing some of their best football in recent times has consumed people’s attention. Roma are a cut above the rest of the teams in the league and this seems to have lifted the burden of expectation from Lazio, a team which previously collapsed under that very pressure.
Additionally, key players in the side are peaking in form. As this piece is being written, Djordjevic has scored five goals in three games and is looking rather unstoppable. For many years, the team was immensely reliant on the fitness of Miroslav Klose. With Djordjevic banging in the goals, the reliance appears to have shifted with Klose being firmly rooted to the bench. Even so, to have a player of Klose’s caliber to come off the bench is a luxury not many competing clubs can boast about.
Antonio Candreva is piling on the assists and is being ably supported by Marco Parolo, Lorik Cana and Lucas Biglia. Federico Marchetti, Senad Lulic and Dusan Basta are yet to move into fifth gear while Pioli can rest upon the assurance that he can turn to the elder statesmen, Cristian Ledesma and Stefano Mauri, whenever the need arises.
The squad is deeper than it’s been over the years, and with quality players occupying important positions. Pioli has solidified the defense as well. After seven games in the league, Lazio have conceded just seven goals, three of which were conceded in the opening game against AC Milan.
Lazio are currently three points from third-placed Sampdoria. Udinese and AC Milan sit in between. Their supposed rivals (Napoli, Inter and Fiorentina) have experienced tumultuous starts and are battling several internal problems. AC Milan too, are haphazard, inconsistent and lacking an identity, while Udinese and Sampdoria might not have the strength in depth to sustain their performances throughout the season.
To top it all, Lazio’s fixture list until the Christmas break looks pleasant with the rare hiccup against Juventus in late November. If form and performances are as consistent as they are at the moment, Lazio could be cementing themselves as genuine contenders for that highly coveted third place qualification spot in Serie A.
Follow Rajath Kumar on Twitter: @rajathkumar. You can read his work on his AC Milan blog “Milan and Me; The Love Affair” — http://rajaththemilanista.wordpress.com/
