Lazio missed out on the chance to close the gap on Serie A leaders AC Milan to a single point as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Catania in Rome this afternoon.
Catania4s Matias Silvestre handed the visitors a 44th minute lead before Lazio4s Hernanes equalised on the stroke of half-time.
Following AC Milan4s 1-1 draw at Sampdoria on Saturday, Lazio knew they could go one point behind the Rossoneri in the standings if they won but today4s result leaves them still second and three points off top.
With just one win in their last five league games, Lazio coach Edy Reja will not be pleased with the result.
Lazio dominated the encounter at the Stadio Olimpico and had numerous chances to claim all three points but were denied by some fine saves from Catania goalkeeper Mariano Andujar.
Catania, meanwhile, have climbed to 11th place but are still winless on their travels this season.
Alejandro Gomez had the first chance of the game early on, with his right-footed effort from the edge of the area saved by Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Lazio dominated possession but it took 36 minutes for them to test Andujar, with Hernanes4powerful free-kick met by a fine save.
At the other end, Muslera had to dive to his right to clear Gomez's stinging drive from the distance.
Catania took the lead soon after when Silvestre4s header from Cristian Llama4s corner-kick beat Muslera.
Catania4s joy was shortlived as Lazio equalised before the break.
A fast counter from Lazio saw Christian Brocchi fed an unmarked Hernanes and his 20-yard shot beat Andujar.
Lazio picked up where they left off after the restart.
Andujar did well to palm over the bar Mauro Zarate4s effort from distance and shortly after the hour mark, Gomez struck wide from the edge of the area.
The Romans should have gone in front in the 70th minute.
Floccari4s header from Pasquale Foggia4s cross was met by another fine save from Andujar.
With 15 minutes remaining, Zarate4s curled effort from 20 yards went just wide of the near post.
Catania defended deeply in the last stages of the game and held on for a deserved point.
Minggu, 28 November 2010
Giornata 13,AC.Parma 1-1 SS.Lazio
Crespo strikes as Lazio lose ground
Lazio lost ground on Serie A leaders AC Milan after being held to a 1-1 draw at Parma.
Former Lazio striker Hernan Crespo scored midway through the first half but an own goal from Luca Antonelli before the break brought the Roman club back on level terms.
Both teams had several chances to grab a second goal in the second half but failed to do so.
The outcome has left Lazio in second place and three points behind Milan, who beat Fiorentina on Saturday.
Parma collected their seventh point in the last three games and climbed to 14th in the standings.
Lazio striker Mauro Zarate had the first chance in the 13th minute when he hit a right-footed shot from the heart of the area but missed the target.
A lively Crespo put the home side in front in the 23rd minute.
Mariano Angelo, who came on as a substitute for injured Stefano Morrone three minutes earlier, crossed into the area.
Despite being closely marked by defender Giuseppe Biava, Crespo got his head on the ball and beat goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
The home side could have doubled their lead after the half hour mark.
Valeri Bojinov struck wide from 10 yards and then Crespo struck the ball with his right foot from 12 yards but the attempt went over the bar.
The missed opportunities cost Parma dearly as Lazio equalised on the stroke of half-time.
Zarate's cross found Sergio Floccari inside the area and his powerful header from the six-yard box glanced off Antonelli and went past Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante.
Shortly after the restart, Crespo headed Bojinov's cross wide while at the other end, Zarate's 20-yard effort was saved by Mirante.
Parma almost went ahead in the 70th minute.
Substitute Fernando Marques passed to Antonio Candreva inside the area and his shot towards the bottom right corner was met by a fine save from Muslera.
With seconds remaining, Francesco Matuzalem's bullet strike from 25 yards forced Mirante to dive to his right to clear.
After that both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils at the Ennio Tardini stadium.
Lazio lost ground on Serie A leaders AC Milan after being held to a 1-1 draw at Parma.
Former Lazio striker Hernan Crespo scored midway through the first half but an own goal from Luca Antonelli before the break brought the Roman club back on level terms.
Both teams had several chances to grab a second goal in the second half but failed to do so.
The outcome has left Lazio in second place and three points behind Milan, who beat Fiorentina on Saturday.
Parma collected their seventh point in the last three games and climbed to 14th in the standings.
Lazio striker Mauro Zarate had the first chance in the 13th minute when he hit a right-footed shot from the heart of the area but missed the target.
A lively Crespo put the home side in front in the 23rd minute.
Mariano Angelo, who came on as a substitute for injured Stefano Morrone three minutes earlier, crossed into the area.
Despite being closely marked by defender Giuseppe Biava, Crespo got his head on the ball and beat goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
The home side could have doubled their lead after the half hour mark.
Valeri Bojinov struck wide from 10 yards and then Crespo struck the ball with his right foot from 12 yards but the attempt went over the bar.
The missed opportunities cost Parma dearly as Lazio equalised on the stroke of half-time.
Zarate's cross found Sergio Floccari inside the area and his powerful header from the six-yard box glanced off Antonelli and went past Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante.
Shortly after the restart, Crespo headed Bojinov's cross wide while at the other end, Zarate's 20-yard effort was saved by Mirante.
Parma almost went ahead in the 70th minute.
Substitute Fernando Marques passed to Antonio Candreva inside the area and his shot towards the bottom right corner was met by a fine save from Muslera.
With seconds remaining, Francesco Matuzalem's bullet strike from 25 yards forced Mirante to dive to his right to clear.
After that both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils at the Ennio Tardini stadium.
Selasa, 16 November 2010
Zarate Return to his best Performance as great as Lazio
So that's how you bounce back from a couple of defeats and get back on the right track. That's how you lift yourselves out of a mounting wave of scepticism as strong as the tide of praise that had lifted you to the top of the Serie A. That's how Lazio, deploying a new strategy scented with fragrances of talent and unpredictability that contained echoes of relatively old times, beat Napoli and relaunched their challenge for a Champions League place or, perish the thought, the Scudetto.
All of this on a weekend blessed with two other high-profile clashes - Juventus v Roma and Inter v Milan - which produced unpredictable scores and predictably bitter reactions: despite video evidence from an ever-increasing number of cameras, sometimes it seems football is still a matter of 'he said, she said' whenever the award of a dubious penalty is witnessed, as was the case on Saturday night at Turin's Stadio Olimpico. But where was I? Oh, Lazio.
Beaten twice in three days earlier in the week, the first defeat a painful 2-0 loss at 'home' to Roma and the second a feeble effort at bottom club Cesena, they were at the kind of crossroads sides in Serie A seem to reach at all too frequent intervals each season. Given the pressure cooked up by the constant and sometimes trivial attention of three national sports dailies and endless call-in shows on local television stations, who have lowered football debate to a form of shouting contest Italian politics is also known for, lose again to Napoli, a team on the upswing after a couple of good wins, and Lazio would have been swallowed by the pack of chasers, never to be heard from again for the rest of the season.
And win they did, showing resilience and tactical astuteness borne out of coach Edy Reja's determination not to let criticism influence his choices. Reja had been heavily censored for his decision to rest some of his best players for the midweek jaunt up to Cesena; free of the burden of European competition, Lazio were probably expected by some of their fans to stick with their best XI throughout the season, and gasps could be heard around the tiny Cesena press box when team sheets for that game were distributed.
But it wasn't the return of four regulars on Sunday that paved the way for Lazio's win over Napoli. What made the difference, at least in the attacking third of the pitch, was Reja's decision to employ Mauro Zarate in a more central role. The Argentinean had unwillingly become a symbol of Lazio's struggles in the past year: his mercurial style of play is always going to attract admirers just as his stubbornness in holding the ball too much will always turn off disciples of the beautiful game viewed as the choreographed, harmonic movement of ten individuals across the pitch.
Zarate, who'd spent a few months on loan from Qatar's Al Sadd to Birmingham City in early 2008, had joined Lazio on another loan later that year, a move that became permanent in the summer of 2009. A prolific goalscorer early on for the Biancocelesti, his form had dipped after a while and in fact his last goal in front of the home fans had come on September 27 of last year. An all too familiar combination of pouting, grumblings about a new contract and veiled threats to seek a transfer had all combined to make the last few months difficult for Zarate, whose brother and agent, Sergio, had also spent some time in Italy in the early 1990s.
He had clashed with Reja during pre-season training, and had started the campaign in indifferent form. While the coach was trying to find the ideal shape for a side that had been gifted with the unexpected arrival of Brazilian playmaker Hernanes in early August, Zarate was going in and out of the starting line-up. Lazio were playing mainly in a 4-3-1-2 with Stefano Mauri, the captain and best performer so far, shifting on the left between an advanced position in support of the forwards and a more controlled role alongside Cristian Ledesma, Argentinean-born but a member of Cesare Prandelli's Italy squad for the first time this week, and Cristian Brocchi.
Zarate was paired with main striker and target man Sergio Floccari at first, then pushed wide right in the 4-2-3-1 Reja adopted for three games. The sight of Zarate, an extremely attack-minded player, doing an Eto'o and tracking back to help right-back Stephan Lichsteiner in those matches was something to behold, but it couldn't go on much longer, and the encounter with Napoli on Sunday presented Reja with the opportunity to again shuffle his deck of cards.
Starting with a 4-3-1-2, the Lazio coach asked Floccari to move to a more withdrawn position and pushed Zarate as the more advanced player, playing on the shoulders of Napoli's slow-footed back three, ready to pounce on through balls or passes played over the top, which is just what happened for Lazio's first goal when Zarate was sent through by Mauri's lob and pushed the ball past Morgan De Sanctis.
While Hernanes - one of those rested in Cesena as he'd gone almost a year without a break - spent most of the time on the right flank when Napoli had possession, preventing wing-back Luigi Vitale from pushing forward, Zarate kept his position through the centre, posing constant problems with his movement and the threat of running onto through-balls that Lazio's midfielders and even Floccari attempted to create at every opportunity.
In fact, it was the danger posed by Zarate after a brilliant run by Hernanes which made Lazio's second goal. So many Napoli defenders converged on the Argentinean, who was cutting in from the right, that all he had to do was lay the ball off for Floccari to side foot it past De Sanctis from just inside the area. Floccari celebrated as if he could not believe Zarate had actually passed the ball instead of shooting, but he should have known. Wasn't it him, after all, sitting down for lunch with his team-mate in a Sky Italia commercial mocking the Argentinean last summer, in which Zarate is seen passing salt and pepper to Sky employees having their meal at a cafeteria then turning to a nodding Floccari and telling him, "and they say I never pass"?
After the game, Reja admitted he may have found the best role for Zarate, whom he said was struggling to adapt to his previous position out wide. He will ask him to stay high up the field, close to the defenders, rather than come deeper to get the ball and run with it, as he's done in the past. This will also force defenders to keep a constant eye on him and may ultimately modify the way opponents play Lazio.
Zarate's position is not going to make or break the Biancocelesti's season, of course, but it may be a significant move in the chess match that will determine the crucial top four places at the end of the season.
Reja's main worry may centre around the overall quality of the squad. Ask Lazio fans and their verdict, although not final (how can any fan's be?), would be damning: the Cesena game showed Lazio will have to use their first XI as much as they can in order to keep up their challenge, as most of the reserves will have to step up their game if they want to have a chance of claiming a starting position. Aston Villa won the First Division in 1981 by using just 14 players all season, but that's a feat that can hardly be repeated, and Lazio would probably lose ground in the Champions League chase if they had to delve deep into the squad because of injuries or loss of form in what has already been a momentous season for them.
In a city where Roma seem to enjoy the reputation of being simultaneously the people's team and the one it's good to be seen supporting, Lazio are constantly trying to remind outsiders of their own proud legacy and tradition. Unlike Roma, Lazio are not just a football club (their complete name, Societa Sportiva Lazio, makes no reference to football, just to its nature as a sports club) but the centre of a multi-sports organisation that fields thousands of athletes in nearly 40 sports, including American football.
All of the teams and individuals carrying the name of Lazio - which, it has to be mentioned, is also the name of the region surrounding Rome and bordering Tuscany - sport the eagle logo on their jerseys, and the football club's decision to have a trained eagle circle the Stadio Olimpico before each home game this year has been a hot - okay, warm may better describe it - topic for weeks in Italian football. At first, animal welfare activists raised predictable objections, which were soon answered by the club with the launch of a campaign to raise money for animal shelters and education about the environment, and it must be said the innovation seems to have caught on.
A Rome-based newspaper reported two weeks ago an apparent, albeit undocumented, increase in the number of kids asking their parents to take them to the stadium to "see the eagle", and the majestic flight of Olimpia, as the eagle has been named, must have struck a nerve on the other side of town.
In what will perhaps not be remembered as the finest moment in the history of the local rivalry, Olimpia was grounded for the derby following threats by Roma followers, some of whom were apparently ready to target her with one of those green laser beams (or worse). That Lazio lost their only home game not introduced by the aerial show will tickle the fancy of superstitious fans, but make no mistake: whether Lazio win the Scudetto or qualify for the Champions League will not depend on Olimpia but on how well Reja copes with injuries, loss of form and suspensions. Just like everyone else has to do, of course, regardless of whether an eagle, an ant or an elephant opens the show.
All of this on a weekend blessed with two other high-profile clashes - Juventus v Roma and Inter v Milan - which produced unpredictable scores and predictably bitter reactions: despite video evidence from an ever-increasing number of cameras, sometimes it seems football is still a matter of 'he said, she said' whenever the award of a dubious penalty is witnessed, as was the case on Saturday night at Turin's Stadio Olimpico. But where was I? Oh, Lazio.
Beaten twice in three days earlier in the week, the first defeat a painful 2-0 loss at 'home' to Roma and the second a feeble effort at bottom club Cesena, they were at the kind of crossroads sides in Serie A seem to reach at all too frequent intervals each season. Given the pressure cooked up by the constant and sometimes trivial attention of three national sports dailies and endless call-in shows on local television stations, who have lowered football debate to a form of shouting contest Italian politics is also known for, lose again to Napoli, a team on the upswing after a couple of good wins, and Lazio would have been swallowed by the pack of chasers, never to be heard from again for the rest of the season.
And win they did, showing resilience and tactical astuteness borne out of coach Edy Reja's determination not to let criticism influence his choices. Reja had been heavily censored for his decision to rest some of his best players for the midweek jaunt up to Cesena; free of the burden of European competition, Lazio were probably expected by some of their fans to stick with their best XI throughout the season, and gasps could be heard around the tiny Cesena press box when team sheets for that game were distributed.
But it wasn't the return of four regulars on Sunday that paved the way for Lazio's win over Napoli. What made the difference, at least in the attacking third of the pitch, was Reja's decision to employ Mauro Zarate in a more central role. The Argentinean had unwillingly become a symbol of Lazio's struggles in the past year: his mercurial style of play is always going to attract admirers just as his stubbornness in holding the ball too much will always turn off disciples of the beautiful game viewed as the choreographed, harmonic movement of ten individuals across the pitch.
Zarate, who'd spent a few months on loan from Qatar's Al Sadd to Birmingham City in early 2008, had joined Lazio on another loan later that year, a move that became permanent in the summer of 2009. A prolific goalscorer early on for the Biancocelesti, his form had dipped after a while and in fact his last goal in front of the home fans had come on September 27 of last year. An all too familiar combination of pouting, grumblings about a new contract and veiled threats to seek a transfer had all combined to make the last few months difficult for Zarate, whose brother and agent, Sergio, had also spent some time in Italy in the early 1990s.
He had clashed with Reja during pre-season training, and had started the campaign in indifferent form. While the coach was trying to find the ideal shape for a side that had been gifted with the unexpected arrival of Brazilian playmaker Hernanes in early August, Zarate was going in and out of the starting line-up. Lazio were playing mainly in a 4-3-1-2 with Stefano Mauri, the captain and best performer so far, shifting on the left between an advanced position in support of the forwards and a more controlled role alongside Cristian Ledesma, Argentinean-born but a member of Cesare Prandelli's Italy squad for the first time this week, and Cristian Brocchi.
Zarate was paired with main striker and target man Sergio Floccari at first, then pushed wide right in the 4-2-3-1 Reja adopted for three games. The sight of Zarate, an extremely attack-minded player, doing an Eto'o and tracking back to help right-back Stephan Lichsteiner in those matches was something to behold, but it couldn't go on much longer, and the encounter with Napoli on Sunday presented Reja with the opportunity to again shuffle his deck of cards.
Starting with a 4-3-1-2, the Lazio coach asked Floccari to move to a more withdrawn position and pushed Zarate as the more advanced player, playing on the shoulders of Napoli's slow-footed back three, ready to pounce on through balls or passes played over the top, which is just what happened for Lazio's first goal when Zarate was sent through by Mauri's lob and pushed the ball past Morgan De Sanctis.
While Hernanes - one of those rested in Cesena as he'd gone almost a year without a break - spent most of the time on the right flank when Napoli had possession, preventing wing-back Luigi Vitale from pushing forward, Zarate kept his position through the centre, posing constant problems with his movement and the threat of running onto through-balls that Lazio's midfielders and even Floccari attempted to create at every opportunity.
In fact, it was the danger posed by Zarate after a brilliant run by Hernanes which made Lazio's second goal. So many Napoli defenders converged on the Argentinean, who was cutting in from the right, that all he had to do was lay the ball off for Floccari to side foot it past De Sanctis from just inside the area. Floccari celebrated as if he could not believe Zarate had actually passed the ball instead of shooting, but he should have known. Wasn't it him, after all, sitting down for lunch with his team-mate in a Sky Italia commercial mocking the Argentinean last summer, in which Zarate is seen passing salt and pepper to Sky employees having their meal at a cafeteria then turning to a nodding Floccari and telling him, "and they say I never pass"?
After the game, Reja admitted he may have found the best role for Zarate, whom he said was struggling to adapt to his previous position out wide. He will ask him to stay high up the field, close to the defenders, rather than come deeper to get the ball and run with it, as he's done in the past. This will also force defenders to keep a constant eye on him and may ultimately modify the way opponents play Lazio.
Zarate's position is not going to make or break the Biancocelesti's season, of course, but it may be a significant move in the chess match that will determine the crucial top four places at the end of the season.
Reja's main worry may centre around the overall quality of the squad. Ask Lazio fans and their verdict, although not final (how can any fan's be?), would be damning: the Cesena game showed Lazio will have to use their first XI as much as they can in order to keep up their challenge, as most of the reserves will have to step up their game if they want to have a chance of claiming a starting position. Aston Villa won the First Division in 1981 by using just 14 players all season, but that's a feat that can hardly be repeated, and Lazio would probably lose ground in the Champions League chase if they had to delve deep into the squad because of injuries or loss of form in what has already been a momentous season for them.
In a city where Roma seem to enjoy the reputation of being simultaneously the people's team and the one it's good to be seen supporting, Lazio are constantly trying to remind outsiders of their own proud legacy and tradition. Unlike Roma, Lazio are not just a football club (their complete name, Societa Sportiva Lazio, makes no reference to football, just to its nature as a sports club) but the centre of a multi-sports organisation that fields thousands of athletes in nearly 40 sports, including American football.
All of the teams and individuals carrying the name of Lazio - which, it has to be mentioned, is also the name of the region surrounding Rome and bordering Tuscany - sport the eagle logo on their jerseys, and the football club's decision to have a trained eagle circle the Stadio Olimpico before each home game this year has been a hot - okay, warm may better describe it - topic for weeks in Italian football. At first, animal welfare activists raised predictable objections, which were soon answered by the club with the launch of a campaign to raise money for animal shelters and education about the environment, and it must be said the innovation seems to have caught on.
A Rome-based newspaper reported two weeks ago an apparent, albeit undocumented, increase in the number of kids asking their parents to take them to the stadium to "see the eagle", and the majestic flight of Olimpia, as the eagle has been named, must have struck a nerve on the other side of town.
In what will perhaps not be remembered as the finest moment in the history of the local rivalry, Olimpia was grounded for the derby following threats by Roma followers, some of whom were apparently ready to target her with one of those green laser beams (or worse). That Lazio lost their only home game not introduced by the aerial show will tickle the fancy of superstitious fans, but make no mistake: whether Lazio win the Scudetto or qualify for the Champions League will not depend on Olimpia but on how well Reja copes with injuries, loss of form and suspensions. Just like everyone else has to do, of course, regardless of whether an eagle, an ant or an elephant opens the show.
Minggu, 14 November 2010
SS.Lazio 2-0 AS.Napoli
Lazio back to the capolista.
Lazio moved back to the top of Serie A thanks to a 2-0 win over Napoli.
Mauro Zarate put the home side ahead in the 15th minute and Sergio Floccari sealed the win after an hour as Edy Reja's side climbed back above AC Milan and ended a run of two straight defeats to return to the summit.
Napoli hit the woodwork once and missed several other chances, but Lazio held on to all three points.
Lazio lost top spot in Serie A on the back of two defeats in the last week, yet they were keen to move back to the summit.
Zarate, whose anger at being substituted in the 1-0 defeat to Cesena on Wednesday had led to rumours of a rift between the Argentinian striker and his club, showed that coach Edy Reja's denial of such a problem existing yesterday was spot on.
He put Lazio in front after a quarter of an hour, providing a confident finish after chesting Stefano Mauri's ball down in front of him and shaking off Paolo Cannavaro to beat Morgan de Sanctis.
Napoli's response was immediate, but Marek Hamsik would have been in an offside position anyway had he managed to divert Christian Maggio's low cross inside the post.
Ezequeil Lavezzi hit the crossbar in the 29th minute after jinking from left to right on the edge of the penalty area and releasing his shot only when he had made enough room to do so.
In an end-to-end game, Mauri raced through for Lazio in the 32nd minute, but Gianluca Grava made a fine sliding tackle which the Lazio midfielder felt should have been punished with a penalty, but the referee was right to wave play on.
The home side doubled their lead after an hour when Zarate this time turned provider for Floccari, who converted from 10 yards.
Jose Ernesto Sosa almost scored for the visitors in the 72nd minute when he shot inches wide of the post from just outside the penalty area.
Zarate went close to a second goal in the 78th minute when his shot deflected off Cannavaro's head and struck the crossbar.
Napoli's misfortune was summed up by a shot over the crossbar from Cavani from point blank range after Muslera fumbled the ball and there was just no way back into the game for the visitors.
Lazio moved back to the top of Serie A thanks to a 2-0 win over Napoli.
Mauro Zarate put the home side ahead in the 15th minute and Sergio Floccari sealed the win after an hour as Edy Reja's side climbed back above AC Milan and ended a run of two straight defeats to return to the summit.
Napoli hit the woodwork once and missed several other chances, but Lazio held on to all three points.
Lazio lost top spot in Serie A on the back of two defeats in the last week, yet they were keen to move back to the summit.
Zarate, whose anger at being substituted in the 1-0 defeat to Cesena on Wednesday had led to rumours of a rift between the Argentinian striker and his club, showed that coach Edy Reja's denial of such a problem existing yesterday was spot on.
He put Lazio in front after a quarter of an hour, providing a confident finish after chesting Stefano Mauri's ball down in front of him and shaking off Paolo Cannavaro to beat Morgan de Sanctis.
Napoli's response was immediate, but Marek Hamsik would have been in an offside position anyway had he managed to divert Christian Maggio's low cross inside the post.
Ezequeil Lavezzi hit the crossbar in the 29th minute after jinking from left to right on the edge of the penalty area and releasing his shot only when he had made enough room to do so.
In an end-to-end game, Mauri raced through for Lazio in the 32nd minute, but Gianluca Grava made a fine sliding tackle which the Lazio midfielder felt should have been punished with a penalty, but the referee was right to wave play on.
The home side doubled their lead after an hour when Zarate this time turned provider for Floccari, who converted from 10 yards.
Jose Ernesto Sosa almost scored for the visitors in the 72nd minute when he shot inches wide of the post from just outside the penalty area.
Zarate went close to a second goal in the 78th minute when his shot deflected off Cannavaro's head and struck the crossbar.
Napoli's misfortune was summed up by a shot over the crossbar from Cavani from point blank range after Muslera fumbled the ball and there was just no way back into the game for the visitors.
Preview:SS.Lazio vs Napoli
Lazio striker Sergio Floccari is confident he and his team-mates can end a two-match losing streak when they host Napoli tomorrow.
The Biancoceleste saw their five-match winning run halted in last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Roma in the city derby, their first setback at home this season.
Three days later, Lazio's spell at the top of Serie A ended as their 1-0 loss at Cesena coupled with AC Milan's 3-1 triumph over Palermo saw the Rossoneri leapfrog the Romans into first place.
"Against Cesena we missed a chance to recover from the derby defeat,'' said Floccari.
"But we cannot get depressed because we risk the possibility that this loss could hinder us even more.
"We must turn the page and try to end the week in the best possible way.
"We are still in a good position in the standings and we cannot throw away all the good work we have done so far.''
A win on Sunday could see Lazio regain top spot provided AC Milan fail to win at Inter.
Lazio lie second, one point behind AC Milan 11 games into the season.
Napoli travel to the Italian capital with confidence high in the camp.
Wednesday's 1-0 triumph at Cagliari, courtesy of Ezequiel Lavezzi's last-gasp goal, was Napoli's third straight triumph.
The result lifted Walter Mazzarri's side to third in the standings, one point behind Lazio.
Lavezzi believes his team can make it four wins in a row on Sunday.
"If we play with the unity and determination as we did against Cagliari, we can achieve great results,'' said Lavezzi.
Napoli have yet to lose on the road this season and have claimed four victories in six away games.
The visitors will be without midfielder Walter Gargano and defender Salvatore Aronica, with the former suspended and the latter out injured.
The Biancoceleste saw their five-match winning run halted in last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Roma in the city derby, their first setback at home this season.
Three days later, Lazio's spell at the top of Serie A ended as their 1-0 loss at Cesena coupled with AC Milan's 3-1 triumph over Palermo saw the Rossoneri leapfrog the Romans into first place.
"Against Cesena we missed a chance to recover from the derby defeat,'' said Floccari.
"But we cannot get depressed because we risk the possibility that this loss could hinder us even more.
"We must turn the page and try to end the week in the best possible way.
"We are still in a good position in the standings and we cannot throw away all the good work we have done so far.''
A win on Sunday could see Lazio regain top spot provided AC Milan fail to win at Inter.
Lazio lie second, one point behind AC Milan 11 games into the season.
Napoli travel to the Italian capital with confidence high in the camp.
Wednesday's 1-0 triumph at Cagliari, courtesy of Ezequiel Lavezzi's last-gasp goal, was Napoli's third straight triumph.
The result lifted Walter Mazzarri's side to third in the standings, one point behind Lazio.
Lavezzi believes his team can make it four wins in a row on Sunday.
"If we play with the unity and determination as we did against Cagliari, we can achieve great results,'' said Lavezzi.
Napoli have yet to lose on the road this season and have claimed four victories in six away games.
The visitors will be without midfielder Walter Gargano and defender Salvatore Aronica, with the former suspended and the latter out injured.
AC.Cesena 1-0 SS.Lazio
Lazio lost top spot in Serie A this evening as they succumbed to a late goal at lowly Cesena.
Marco Parolo struck six minutes from time to earn the home side only their third win of the season and move three points above foot-of-the-table Bari.
It marked a second successive league defeat for Lazio, however, and they slipped to second behind AC Milan, who were 3-1 winners over Palermo.
Lazio had come into the contest looking for an immediate response to their weekend derby loss to Roma, which had brought an end to the Biancoleste's run of five successive victories.
But Cesena looked ready for the challenge and Parolo carved out an early opportunity with a low strike which was well held by visiting keeper Fernando Muslera.
Pasquale Foggia had Lazio's first real chance after 24 minutes, but despite finding a path through the home defence, his shot was blocked by keeper Francesco Antonioli.
Cesena responded with a stinging strike from Stephen Appiah six minutes later which flew just wide of the target.
The home side continued to threaten after the interval and Muslera was called upon to make another good save to keep out Yuto Nagatomo's cross-shot.
Lazio's chances were poor in comparison, although Mauro Zarate tried to change that with a low strike which was pushed away by Antonioli.
Giuseppe Colucci came close to breaking the deadlock for Cesena after 68 minutes with a free-kick which he curled inches over the crossbar.
But they finally made the breakthrough in spectacular fashion five minutes from time as Parolo let fly with a shot from outside of the area which left Muslera stranded.
Marco Parolo struck six minutes from time to earn the home side only their third win of the season and move three points above foot-of-the-table Bari.
It marked a second successive league defeat for Lazio, however, and they slipped to second behind AC Milan, who were 3-1 winners over Palermo.
Lazio had come into the contest looking for an immediate response to their weekend derby loss to Roma, which had brought an end to the Biancoleste's run of five successive victories.
But Cesena looked ready for the challenge and Parolo carved out an early opportunity with a low strike which was well held by visiting keeper Fernando Muslera.
Pasquale Foggia had Lazio's first real chance after 24 minutes, but despite finding a path through the home defence, his shot was blocked by keeper Francesco Antonioli.
Cesena responded with a stinging strike from Stephen Appiah six minutes later which flew just wide of the target.
The home side continued to threaten after the interval and Muslera was called upon to make another good save to keep out Yuto Nagatomo's cross-shot.
Lazio's chances were poor in comparison, although Mauro Zarate tried to change that with a low strike which was pushed away by Antonioli.
Giuseppe Colucci came close to breaking the deadlock for Cesena after 68 minutes with a free-kick which he curled inches over the crossbar.
But they finally made the breakthrough in spectacular fashion five minutes from time as Parolo let fly with a shot from outside of the area which left Muslera stranded.
Preview:Cesena vs SS.Lazio
Cesena Will be the most dangerous enemy in this season.
They even can beat AS.Roma.
But now,we dont need that statistics.
Just wanna make clear that After defeated at the Derby della capitale last week,Lazio should find their best performance,to take back what they shuold get.
Lazio will be looking to bounce back immediately from the weekend derby defeat to city rivals Roma when they visit Cesena tomorrow.
Sunday's reverse brought an end to Lazio's run of five successive victories and saw the Biancoceleste's lead at the top of the Serie A table cut to two points.
Coach Edy Reja was disappointed with his side's 2-0 loss and is looking for an immediate reaction from his team.
"We must leave behind us the disappointment of the derby,'' said Reja.
"We will think again about the derby when the return fixture comes around but now we have to turn the page.
"We need to be careful and not throw away the good that we have done so far.
"We still lead the standings and we look ahead to the game at Cesena as a chance to get back on track.''
A defeat on Wednesday could see second-placed AC Milan leapfrog Lazio provided the Rossoneri beat Palermo.
Reja will have all of his players available for the encounter at the Dino Manuzzi stadium.
However, the Biancoceleste coach could rest Hernanes in view of Sunday's match against Napoli.
The Brazilian midfielder, who has featured in all of Lazio's games so far this season, was not at his best against Roma.
Cesena coach Massimo Ficcadenti will also be hoping for a response from his troops after defeats to Chievo, Sampdoria and Juventus have seen them drop into the relegation zone.
Sunday's 3-1 loss in Turin left the promoted outfit second from bottom with eight points from 10 games.
"We know we are a team destined to suffer this season,'' said Ficcadenti. "But we have to continue to battle in order to get out of this difficult situation and start earning points.''
The hosts will be without suspended defender Maximiliano Pellegrino and injured pair Igor Budan and Fabio Caserta.
They even can beat AS.Roma.
But now,we dont need that statistics.
Just wanna make clear that After defeated at the Derby della capitale last week,Lazio should find their best performance,to take back what they shuold get.
Lazio will be looking to bounce back immediately from the weekend derby defeat to city rivals Roma when they visit Cesena tomorrow.
Sunday's reverse brought an end to Lazio's run of five successive victories and saw the Biancoceleste's lead at the top of the Serie A table cut to two points.
Coach Edy Reja was disappointed with his side's 2-0 loss and is looking for an immediate reaction from his team.
"We must leave behind us the disappointment of the derby,'' said Reja.
"We will think again about the derby when the return fixture comes around but now we have to turn the page.
"We need to be careful and not throw away the good that we have done so far.
"We still lead the standings and we look ahead to the game at Cesena as a chance to get back on track.''
A defeat on Wednesday could see second-placed AC Milan leapfrog Lazio provided the Rossoneri beat Palermo.
Reja will have all of his players available for the encounter at the Dino Manuzzi stadium.
However, the Biancoceleste coach could rest Hernanes in view of Sunday's match against Napoli.
The Brazilian midfielder, who has featured in all of Lazio's games so far this season, was not at his best against Roma.
Cesena coach Massimo Ficcadenti will also be hoping for a response from his troops after defeats to Chievo, Sampdoria and Juventus have seen them drop into the relegation zone.
Sunday's 3-1 loss in Turin left the promoted outfit second from bottom with eight points from 10 games.
"We know we are a team destined to suffer this season,'' said Ficcadenti. "But we have to continue to battle in order to get out of this difficult situation and start earning points.''
The hosts will be without suspended defender Maximiliano Pellegrino and injured pair Igor Budan and Fabio Caserta.
Selasa, 09 November 2010
Review:Derby Della Capitale
So,It finally over.
Roma defeats Lazio,for the 5th times.
And I can actually say "THANK YOU,AND PLEASE DONT SHOW YOUR FACE ANYMORE AT DERBY DELLA CAPITALE" to Mr Emidio Morganti.
He was the referee who leads that Derby.
In the past 3 Derby della capitale,which held in Serie A,he was there,too.
It was really a bad luck for Lazio,that they should did a derby,which called the hottest derby in the world,with that referee.
3 lost in a row at derby della capitale is purely Mr.Morganti's fault.
It's obviously his fault because every derby della capitale which put him as a referee,he always give our Lazio the worst nightmare ever.
We can look at the 3rd derby della capitale,which held in Olimpico,and put Lazio as the "home-team".
It was really good for Lazio to start the game.They played so smooth,and even made all Roma player couldnt hit the ball.
And it finally happened.
A Penalty,were given to Roma as the reward for a handball by Lazio player.
It's really neat decision tho.
But,when Lazio attacking Roma,there's a handball by Simplicio,Roma's defender.
That referee was there,in front of Simplicio,and he didnt give Lazio a penalty.
From that incident,we can smell a "conspiracy" between Roma's official team and Mr.Morganti.
It was started from there.
Then,the next was our boys,Stefano Mauri,were tackled by Roma defender,and Lazio didnt get a penalty,because it's purely a foul there.
We didnt get a chance to "at least" make the match ended up ties.
I dont know how to say,all the things happened,that decided by that Morganti,it was everything against the Lazio.
Every decision really give us disadvantages.
We were wrapped,and made us didnt really enjoy that match.
The spirit called A Will of Eagles,which worn by our boys,suddenly vanished.
Vanished by a controvercy decision,everything.
I didnt try to find a thing as an excuse,but that's really a nightmare,that derby,which praised as the Biggest and Hottest Derby in the world,has finally turned into a shit match,full of controvercy.
As Laziali,I didnt try to find thing to be blamed.
We're both a football supporters,and want a great match,which lead by a "Professiona Referee".
Not a referee that always give the advantage to our eternal rival.
We also didnt need a dirty win.We only want a clean match,without a controvercy.
That's what called the Biggest and Hottest Derby Della Capitale.
Roma defeats Lazio,for the 5th times.
And I can actually say "THANK YOU,AND PLEASE DONT SHOW YOUR FACE ANYMORE AT DERBY DELLA CAPITALE" to Mr Emidio Morganti.
He was the referee who leads that Derby.
In the past 3 Derby della capitale,which held in Serie A,he was there,too.
It was really a bad luck for Lazio,that they should did a derby,which called the hottest derby in the world,with that referee.
3 lost in a row at derby della capitale is purely Mr.Morganti's fault.
It's obviously his fault because every derby della capitale which put him as a referee,he always give our Lazio the worst nightmare ever.
We can look at the 3rd derby della capitale,which held in Olimpico,and put Lazio as the "home-team".
It was really good for Lazio to start the game.They played so smooth,and even made all Roma player couldnt hit the ball.
And it finally happened.
A Penalty,were given to Roma as the reward for a handball by Lazio player.
It's really neat decision tho.
But,when Lazio attacking Roma,there's a handball by Simplicio,Roma's defender.
That referee was there,in front of Simplicio,and he didnt give Lazio a penalty.
From that incident,we can smell a "conspiracy" between Roma's official team and Mr.Morganti.
It was started from there.
Then,the next was our boys,Stefano Mauri,were tackled by Roma defender,and Lazio didnt get a penalty,because it's purely a foul there.
We didnt get a chance to "at least" make the match ended up ties.
I dont know how to say,all the things happened,that decided by that Morganti,it was everything against the Lazio.
Every decision really give us disadvantages.
We were wrapped,and made us didnt really enjoy that match.
The spirit called A Will of Eagles,which worn by our boys,suddenly vanished.
Vanished by a controvercy decision,everything.
I didnt try to find a thing as an excuse,but that's really a nightmare,that derby,which praised as the Biggest and Hottest Derby in the world,has finally turned into a shit match,full of controvercy.
As Laziali,I didnt try to find thing to be blamed.
We're both a football supporters,and want a great match,which lead by a "Professiona Referee".
Not a referee that always give the advantage to our eternal rival.
We also didnt need a dirty win.We only want a clean match,without a controvercy.
That's what called the Biggest and Hottest Derby Della Capitale.
SS.Lazio 0-2 AS Roma
Marco Borriello and Mirko Vucinic each converted second-half penalties as Roma won the Eternal City derby against Serie A leaders Lazio this afternoon.
Borriello scored after the referee ruled that Stephan Lichtsteiner had deflected Fabio Simplicio's goalbound shot with his hand.
Simplicio almost doubled the advantage when he hit the crossbar, only for Lazio's Pasquale Foggia to nearly equalise when his effort rebounded off the woodwork seven minutes from time.
Baptista then earned the second penalty after being brought down by Andre Dias inside the area.
The outcome was Lazio's first defeat since August 29 and saw their five-match winning streak come to an end.
Lazio's lead at the top of the standings has been cut to two points because AC Milan won 3-1 at Bari today. Roma, meanwhile, have climbed to seventh in the standings.
Lazio never tested Roma goalkeeper Julio Sergio in the opening half as the visitors - without suspended captain Francesco Totti - dominated possession and forced home goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to make his first save in the 20th minute.
At the other end, Hernanes' chested down Stefan Radu's cross but his volley went over the bar.
Midway through the first half, Daniele De Rossi served John Arne Riise and his 20-yard effort towards the centre of goal was met by a fine save from Muslera.
Muslera was again involved on the half-hour mark and had to parry away Simplicio's shot from outside the area.
Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was forced to make his first substitution in the 39th minute with Leandro Greco replacing an injured Jeremy Menez.
Greco then had a goal disallowed after Borriello was called for offside.
On the stroke of half-time, Hernanes tried his luck from long distance but his effort went high and wide.
Lazio coach Edy Reja brought in Mauro Zarate in place of Tommaso Rocchi after the restart.
The Biancoceleste first tested Julio Sergio in the 48th minute with the goalkeeper saving Cristian Ledesma's free-kick - but four minutes later Roma broke the deadlock.
Muslera got a touch on Borriello's strike towards the bottom right hand corner but it was not sufficient to stop the ball from going inside the net.
Lazio responded with Floccari's powerful header from Lichtsteiner's cross going just over the bar.
In the 65th minute, Lazio almost equalised but Julio Sergio made a great save to clear Hernanes' close-range volley.
With 13 minutes remaining, Roma were unlucky not to double their lead with Simplicio's strike rebounding off the bar.
Lazio had their best chance to equalise with Foggia's close-range effort finding the woodwork - and three minutes from time Vucinic 's spot-kick towards the far post beat Muslera.
Borriello scored after the referee ruled that Stephan Lichtsteiner had deflected Fabio Simplicio's goalbound shot with his hand.
Simplicio almost doubled the advantage when he hit the crossbar, only for Lazio's Pasquale Foggia to nearly equalise when his effort rebounded off the woodwork seven minutes from time.
Baptista then earned the second penalty after being brought down by Andre Dias inside the area.
The outcome was Lazio's first defeat since August 29 and saw their five-match winning streak come to an end.
Lazio's lead at the top of the standings has been cut to two points because AC Milan won 3-1 at Bari today. Roma, meanwhile, have climbed to seventh in the standings.
Lazio never tested Roma goalkeeper Julio Sergio in the opening half as the visitors - without suspended captain Francesco Totti - dominated possession and forced home goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to make his first save in the 20th minute.
At the other end, Hernanes' chested down Stefan Radu's cross but his volley went over the bar.
Midway through the first half, Daniele De Rossi served John Arne Riise and his 20-yard effort towards the centre of goal was met by a fine save from Muslera.
Muslera was again involved on the half-hour mark and had to parry away Simplicio's shot from outside the area.
Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was forced to make his first substitution in the 39th minute with Leandro Greco replacing an injured Jeremy Menez.
Greco then had a goal disallowed after Borriello was called for offside.
On the stroke of half-time, Hernanes tried his luck from long distance but his effort went high and wide.
Lazio coach Edy Reja brought in Mauro Zarate in place of Tommaso Rocchi after the restart.
The Biancoceleste first tested Julio Sergio in the 48th minute with the goalkeeper saving Cristian Ledesma's free-kick - but four minutes later Roma broke the deadlock.
Muslera got a touch on Borriello's strike towards the bottom right hand corner but it was not sufficient to stop the ball from going inside the net.
Lazio responded with Floccari's powerful header from Lichtsteiner's cross going just over the bar.
In the 65th minute, Lazio almost equalised but Julio Sergio made a great save to clear Hernanes' close-range volley.
With 13 minutes remaining, Roma were unlucky not to double their lead with Simplicio's strike rebounding off the bar.
Lazio had their best chance to equalise with Foggia's close-range effort finding the woodwork - and three minutes from time Vucinic 's spot-kick towards the far post beat Muslera.
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