Lazio closing gap to Roma ahead of Derby Della Capitale

Zdenek Zeman should know better than to say the Derby della Capitale is just like any other game. After all, as with Sven-Göran Eriksson before him, the Czech coached both Roma and Lazio. Did he enjoy the experience? Apparently not. “It was hard work,” Zeman said. "When I was at Lazio the fans seemed possessed by the need to win this game. At Roma, the fans were even more so. And then there were those who threatened you: ‘we’ll come and find you if you lose’. Naturally they never did.”

After 'betraying' Lazio by crossing the divide following his dismissal in 1997, it appears Zeman’s only loyalty is to Francesco Totti. “For me he is still the best. I’ve heard people say he is finished too many times.” The bitter end to Zeman’s last experience with Roma - he learnt of his sacking on the golf course - appears to have rendered him impartial again after years in which, to paraphrase Antonello Venditti, he was giallo like the sun and rosso like the hearts that beat inside every Romanista. But then again Zeman has never been afraid to call it how he sees it and perhaps to the irritation of some Roma supporters he can't find much to split them and their ‘cousins.’

“At the moment Lazio and Roma are two teams that are more or less the same,” he told Il Corriere della Sport. A glance at the table suggests Zeman isn’t far wrong; a point is all that separates the two rivals going into Sunday’s Cupolone. Fabio Capello, the most victorious of all Roma managers in this rivalry, thinks it will be “more balanced than ever,” which is still remarkable when you consider the following: Roma’s squad is estimated to be worth €110m more than Lazio’s, their wage bill is €37m higher and they out-spent them by €25m in the summer. “On paper Roma are potentially the better team,” Capello continued, “but Lazio seem to have got the spirit they had under Eriksson back.”

It’s a pretty loaded comparison to make as it was under the Swede that Lazio last won the Scudetto. Before people dismiss Lazio's title credentials out of a hand, it is odd that no one has even dared to proclaim them a legitimate challenger, particularly given how quick the press were to hype up Inter following their victory in the Derby d’Italia, the anointment of Atalanta as Italy’s Leicester, all the positivity around a fledgling Milan side and Roma’s unquestioned status as the most serious pretender to Juventus’ crown.  Lazio are in the thick of it too but go unmentioned, excluded from the title conversation.

Should they not at the very least be indulged like the others? After all, they are the most improved team in Serie A [+9 on last year]. The reason many wrote them off at the start of the season was of course the whole Bielsa affair. It embarrassed Lazio. Not only did his decision to rip up his contract dampen the enthusiasm generated by the prospect of El Loco bringing his stylish football to the Eternal City, it confirmed the worst fans thought about the club and left them with little confidence in Igli Tare’s recruitment. I mean, if Bielsa didn’t think it was up to much, what on earth were supporters supposed to think? No one took Lazio seriously and that has proven to be a mistake.

“Simone Inzaghi has made giant leaps forward,” Capello opined. “This year he seems to have a better grip on the team.” That’ll happen when the caretaker gets the job on a permanent basis; players stop looking at him as a benchwarmer for somebody else. But it also speaks to Inzaghi’s ability to get them to believe in what he is attempting to do. He has the best points per game average [1.90] of all the managers to work under owner Claudio Lotito. In fact, this is Lazio’s best start in 13 years. It has been uphill as well, for they have already faced Juventus, Milan, Napoli, Torino, Genoa and Sassuolo.

Perhaps, though, Lazio's renaissance shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. Aside from Miroslav Klose and Antonio Candreva, this is more or less the same team that qualified for the Champions League preliminaries the season before last. Lessons have been learned from the mistakes that were made a year ago. For instance, whenever Stefan de Vrij or Lucas Biglia got hurt, the team struggled. Now, they seem to take it in their stride. Some of that is down to how Inzaghi structures the team. The rest is recruitment. For instance, De Vrij has missed the last six games but it’s been no bother. Lazio have managed to limit their opponents to just the one goal in as many as five of them. An €8.5m signing from Braga, admirers point out there is a WALL in the name of Lazio’s new 21-year-old centre-back Wallace.

Their defence is the best in Italy after Juventus’ this season and the attack isn’t half bad either. Generally, players are either improving under Inzaghi or getting back to the level they have shown in the past. Now Candreva is gone Keita Balde Diao is being given the game-time he thinks he deserved and has already matched his goal total [4] from last season. Felipe Anderson hasn’t been quite as devastating as he was the season before last but is threatening to hit those heights again. On Wednesday, he couldn’t stop Instagramming pictures from the derby in which he scored only for Francesco Totti to steal the show and take a selfie in front of the Curva Sud.

 

Ciro Immobile has reminded everyone it wasn’t so long ago he finished Capocannoniere in this league. The Italy international scored [seven goals] in five consecutive games in October and has promised teammate Marco Parolo a brace against Roma. All together 13 different players have got on the scoresheet for Lazio this season. That’s a sign of a decent collective that isn’t dependent on anyone. For instance Immobile hasn’t found the back of the net in a month but it hasn’t brought Lazio to a halt.

Unbeaten in nine, Lazio come at teams from all angles, fast and furiously too. Eight of their goals have arrived in the opening half hour. Sunday’s winner against Palermo clocked in just after that. Every Roma player will have to be on their toes right from kick off.

The Giallorossi remain slight favourites. More spectacular than their cousins, Roma have scored 84 goals in 2016; at least eight more than any other side. Edin Dzeko already has 20 for the season for club and country. Mo Salah is a doubt and that’s an issue because there is no finer understanding in Serie A at the moment than the one between him and Dzeko. The Egyptian has created the most goalscoring chances in Serie A [44] this season. Perhaps of greater concern, however, is Roma’s game management. They are masters when it comes to making a game look simple and then finding a way to complicate life for themselves. Their opponents suddenly take on the guise of Lazarus; just when you think they’re dead, they spring back to life.

Lazio will need no invitation if that were to happen on Sunday. Roma, on the other hand, must produce the kind of performance they did against Inter and Napoli. December will tell us a lot about their title credentials as next up for them it’s Milan and then Juventus. Prepare for an enthralling derby.