With seven games played and an international break for the clubs to sit though, Lazio are fourth and only behind their local rivals Roma on goal difference.
In many ways, this is where the Biancocelesti should be. This is a club with two Serie A titles, two European trophies in one of the world’s greatest cities. Yet, recent years have seen the club plunge into mediocrity and farce with unimpressive performances in an increasingly empty Stadio Olimpico while the fans boycotted Claudio Lotito’s presidency. The side appeared to be making an ambitious step to improve when Marcelo Bielsa was appointed at the start of July only to shockingly leave with the ensuing fallout about broken promises in the transfer market apparently the culmination of a downward spiral. The talent pool also appeared to be drying out when arguably the best player in Antonio Candreva left.
Simone Inzaghi was back after being replaced yet the former striker has quietly gone about his business after being handed that reprieve. As someone who presided over the club’s youth system, he has shown faith in Lazio’s young players and displayed enough intelligence to get the most out of them and implement a style.
Inzaghi has switched between formations with a 3-5-2 the most common and successful option. Senad Lulic is his usual industrious and reliable self on the left but the scheme seems to be getting the most out of the sometimes frustrating Felipe Anderson. The Brazilian is still young at 23 and already has two assists to his name. He’s created 16 chances and he has an impressive take-on success rate of 60.7 per cent.
Anderson now has the ideal man to pick out in Ciro Immobile. The 26-year-old was a shrewd acquisition as a proven Serie A goalscorer for €8.5 million and he’s hit the ground running with four goals. He remains a relatively one-dimensional forward but that’s negated by his ability to get behind defenders and finish and his record means he appears to have an important future role in Gian Piero Ventura’s Italy.
While Immobile is the glamorous new signing, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is really stepping up during his second season with the Aquile. The 21-year-old has scored one and assisted two already. His passing isn’t the most accurate but he’s there where there’s little space to play short lay-offs. He may give away a fair amount of fouls but he’s also capable of regaining possession and earning his own free kicks.
The key man though has to be Stefan de Vrij who doesn’t appear to have been mentally scarred by the injury which reduced him to just two Serie A appearances in the 2015-16 season. In fact, the player himself claimed the work while sidelined allowed him to lose weight in terms of body fat and put on extra muscle.
The Dutch are already getting excited again and touting him as the new Alessandro Nesta while the club is keen to tie him down to a new contract with a €35 million release clause. He’s still a bright and focused centre-back who will remain vital to the team provided he stays fit and he’s a big step up on the error-prone Mauricio who had to fill in and make 24 appearances in the 2015-16 season.
Keita Balde Diao appeared to have burnt his bridges over the summer as Lazio accused him of feigning injury to get out of the season opener. Yet, since then he’s made two starts and came on from the bench three times with two goals and as many assists to his name. With Inzaghi getting the most out of the young forward, his is the story of this current Lazio side. This resurgence hasn’t been planned and it’s not what anybody would have expected, but Lotitio has somehow stumbled onto a winning formula thanks to Inzaghi’s quiet and dignified work.
