Lazio focus: On the brink

With just 11 games remaining looking at the table currently provides a frightening sight for all Laziale across the world. 17th place and just three points clear of the relegation zone for a team that holds two of the three available cups in Italy is a sign of just how shocking this season has been for the club from the blue half of Rome. Add into that an appalling European campaign and just five wins in the league it all equates to a season of total disaster for a club that should be rebuilding itself up as an Italian giant at the very least. This, of course, is in stark contrast to ten years ago when the Scudetto and Coppa Italia double was on its way to the blue half of the capital.

However, it's not been all bad over the last few years for Lazio, far from it actually under the leadership of Dellio Rossi. An excellent Serie A campaign in 2006/2007 led to a third place finish, ahead of European Champions AC Milan, and this was followed by a Champions League campaign, albeit one that ended in the group stages. A lack of quality investment at this point left Lazio overstretched. There is no doubt about that in my mind, and consequently why they fell to 12th in the league in the 2007/2008 season, miles away from the European spots. 2008/2009 led to some new arrivals. Mauro Zarate, a relatively unknown quantity at the time, set alight Rome instantly as Lazio had a great start to the season.

But, it did not last and at times the performances were dreadful as they lost 1-4 at home to Cagliari, 0-3 at home to Chievo, amongst other debacles which led to them slipping down the table to 10th place at the seasons end. This time there could be no excuses about being overstretched from European competition, but salvation in some form was granted through a magnificent Coppa Italia campaign where the Rome club knocked out Milan, Torino, Juventus and then Sampdoria in the final as they lifted the Italian cup for the 5th time in their history.

Again, Lazio through winning this cup had been handed another opportunity. Much like in qualifying for the Champions League in 2007 Lazio had reached Europe again in the form of the Europa League. The time to invest in quality additions had arrived once more in order to allow the team to adjust to playing twice a week. Instead unpopular club President Claudio Lotito decided to freeze out Goran Pandev and Cristian Ledesma and rely on Roberto Baronio, who played in Serie B the year before, and Julio Cruz, who had barely played for Inter at all the year before. No defensive re-enforcements arrived, an area of the squad that was desperate for it. Ledesma has since returned, but Pandev departed for nothing. The rest is known to all. Despite winning the Italian Supercup against Inter what has followed since has been one disaster after another. Lazio seem unable to put the ball in the net for starters having done so on only 22 times this season and having only scored more than one goal in three domestic games so far this campaign. Additionally the tactics employed by one Davide Ballardini in shutting up shop from minute one at times it seemed have invited any team coming to the Olimpico the belief that three points are very much attainable any given Sunday.

A new manager has arrived, but so far not much has changed. The defeat at Sampdoria at the weekend could be considered a brave one considering that no one else has won at the Marassi this season, but the 1-1 against Fiorentina the week before was yet another example of Lazio being unable to close out a game. Its clear that this season has been a disaster, but lets hope that this is all it turns out to be. With Bari, Cagliari and then Siena up next for Lazio seven points must arrive to pull them away from the relegation zone. Indeed, Bari having won only one game away from home this season should be perfect opponents for Lazio. But as this season has shown, nothing has gone to plan. Infact, its pretty clear there has been no plan.