The eagles of Lazio came soaring back down to earth with a bang at the end of last season when their hearts were broken by Inter on the final day in one of the most memorable games in many years.
Quite how they recover from that cruel setback is one of the main things on the agenda for a side who will certainly feel that the Champions League theme should be sounding on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the Stadio Olimpico this season.
But they will have to put that behind them and get back to doing what they do best, which under Simone Inzaghi is entertaining attacking football which arguably made them the most enjoyable team to watch in Serie A last season.
Inzaghi’s Entertainers scored a record 89 goals last year, more than any other team in the division, and smashing the club’s previous high for a single campaign when they netted 74.
Much of that goalscoring productivity was achieved thanks to their prolific scoring trio of Luis Alberto, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and capocannoniere Ciro Immobile, who all managed double figures – making Lazio the only side in the division to have three players reach that milestone.
No midfielder managed more than the 12 the Serbian did in Serie A last season and no other player scored more than Immobile’s 29, which is also the highest amount ever by a Biancocelesti player in a single campaign, beating Beppe Signori’s 26 in 1992/93.
The onus is on that duo in particular to step up once more the side but one thing that could come back to haunt the Aquile this season, particularly when you analyse the business of the teams around them, is a failure (so far) to recruit back-up to their ace marksman.
The rest of their summer business was good, such as snapping up Milan Badelj on a free, and recruiting Francesco Acerbi to fill the boots of Stefan De Vrij as well as Joaquin Correa of Sevilla.
But given how impressive Lazio were going forward last season, there was perhaps a tendency to get complacent about their need for adding goals, yet if Immobile were to go down for an extended period of time, their failure to add a proven goalscoring back-up could hurt them badly.
Aside from that, Igli Tare can be pleased with his summer dealings as in addition to bringing in Badelj, Acerbi and Correa, they have also signed Riza Durmisi, Valon Berisha and Silvio Proto, all of whom arrive for less in accumulated fees than they brought in for Felipe Anderson.
It all gives Lazio reason to be optimistic. Given that others around them have also strengthened, it is difficult to see them having done enough to bridge the gap and break into the top four this season.
But even if they don’t, when it comes to this Aquile outfit under Inzaghi, you are going to enjoy watching it no matter the outcome.
