Player Focus: Djordjevic Looking Forwards After Finding Form For Lazio
One for all and all for one. Lazio’s Serbian players Filip Djordjevic and Dusan Basta put their hands on top of those of their Albanian teammates Erit Berisha, Lorik Cana and Thomas Strakosha to send a message of peace and solidarity following the abandonment of a World Cup qualifier between their two nations. It wouldn’t divide them. They have come together. So have Lazio.
Sunday’s 2-0 win away to Fiorentina, one of their principal rivals for a European place, was their third consecutive in Serie A. Djordjevic stamped his name on the scorecard again. After a slow start to his career in Italy - the striker drew blanks in his first five appearances for his new club between league and cup - he is now in lethal form.
Upon turning 27 last month, his birthday present was a first ever professional hat-trick against Palermo in Sicily. Not only did things click for Djordjevic that night, they did for Lazio too. With only three points from four games it had been their worst start in seven years. After the appointment of Stefano Pioli and an encouraging summer in recruitment, more had been expected.
They had been unlucky, particularly in the first half at Genoa. Djordjevic hitting the post was one of several chances that, if converted, would have put the result beyond any doubt before the interval. Instead, another of their new signings Stefan de Vrij, who’d been given a baptism of fire on his debut at San Siro against Milan, got sent off. A Mauricio Pinilla header condemned them to defeat four minutes from time.
That game offered a microcosm of Lazio’s start to the campaign. Santiago Gentiletti, a €1.9m pick up from Copa Libertadores winners San Lorenzo, Pope Francis’ team, went off injured. Scans revealed a cruciate ligament tear that would rule him out for six months. No sooner had his centre-back partnership with de Vrij begun to hint at something promising than Lazio were unfortunately deprived of it. They looked in trouble.
Things threatened to get worse before they got better. Palermo were all over them and should have taken the lead only to go into the break demoralised after Djordjevic opened the scoring against the run of play. Since then Lazio haven’t looked back. He made it 2-0 in a 3-2 win against Sassuolo and his goal in Florence was his fifth in three games. They have contributed to a winning streak Lazio haven’t experienced in Serie A for over a year [May 2013].
Up into sixth place let’s be clear they remain, as Pioli says, a work in progress. After a number of experiments he now seems to have settled on a 4-3-3 and appears to know his best team. There are still a few questions marks. Like who is a safer pair of hands between the sticks? Berisha or Federico Marchetti. Injuries also continue to deny de Vrij a regular centre-back partner and the sort of understanding that breeds consistency. However, the midfield and attack are giving very positive responses indeed.
Defeated World Cup finalist Lucas Biglia’s return to fitness has restored a sense of geometry and direction to the team. Stefano Mauri and Marco Parolo both get into the box and find the net [they have 2 goals each]. Senad Lulic can play anywhere Pioli pleases on the left. And then there’s Antonio Candreva, their main difference-maker last year. Now Lazio’s highest paid player after the club made a significant and creditworthy effort to tie him to a new contract, he has been excellent this season.
Leading Serie A in assists (5), the Italy international has been involved in each of their last four goals. He has set up Djordjevic alone three times. The connection between them augurs well. Djordjevic is unapologetic about what kind of striker he is. “All of my goals are scored in the penalty area,” he told Il Corriere dello Sport. “I am a player who moves well close to goal.”
A well-built, opportunistic poacher, of players with more than 1 Serie A goal, only Roma striker Mattia Destro is averaging fewer touches per goal (32.7) than Djordjevic this season (37.8). And Candreva knows how to find him. No one in Serie A has made as many accurate crosses (20) as he has this season. To put all this into context, only Mauro Zarate has enjoyed a more prolific start to his Lazio career than Djordjevic. Recall he plundered six in his first seven games for the Biancocelesti back in 2008. Their ratios aren’t too dissimilar however. Zarate managed one every 95 minutes, Djordjevic one every 98.
The Curva Nord feel like one of its prayers has been answered. The presence of a player like Djordjevic is what the team has been crying out for in recent years. Too reliant on Miroslav Klose, their chances of qualifying for the Champions League have faltered when his body has broken down over the winter and spring. Not sourcing and securing an alternative for their veteran World Cup legend has been a frequent criticism of Lazio owner Claudio Lotito and his director of sport Igli Tare. It is no longer.
A free transfer from Nantes, they moved for Djordjevic early, agreeing terms in November and thereby seeing off the competition. It was the same for de Vrij. He gave Lazio his word before heading to Brazil for the World Cup where he’d perform so well he would be named in the all-star team. When other clubs inquired about him on the back of those displays, they were told it was too late. “He’s good,” Klose said of Djordjevic. “He’ll take my place.” Carry on scoring at this rate and he could well take Lazio back into Europe too.
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