Lazio

It is December 22nd 2013 and Lazio have just slumped to a 4-1 defeat to newly promoted Hellas Verona. Their then-coach Vladimir Petkovic was looking increasingly bewildered as the Roman outfit had won only one game in their last eight, in which they had conceded 14 and scored only eight.

Now at the end of January they remain unbeaten so far this year and are level on points with a Milan side that people believe can still qualify for Europe. There may not have been a revolution at the club but there has been a return to the constant, and that constant is Edy Reja.

Reja, now 68 years old, had retired after coaching Lazio last term. Thanks to the persuasive tongue of President Claudio Lotito he has decided to reacquaint himself with the club he loves to hate. The wily old fox of Italian Football has had a bizarre mix of success and despair at Lazio and almost ignored the call to return to the club.

Reja’s return has certainly brought a sense of stability back to the club and this familiarity added to his high-tempo approach and adaptable tactical outlook has spearheaded Lazio’s New Year campaign. They kicked off with a 1-0 home win against Inter, drew 0-0 away with Bologna, beat Udinese in a 2-3 thriller away before drawing at home 1-1 with champions Juventus. This newfound confidence has filtered through to some underperforming players and, mixed with his 3-4-2-1 formation, has brought immediate success.

This is not to say all is perfect within the camp at the moment as some difficult times may well lie ahead but with the ‘right wind’ could see the eagles soar. The fixture list proves relatively kind with a ‘home’ fixture in the derby against a dangerous Roma side and an away fixture in Florence proving to be the most testing.

The transfer deadline is nearly closed and although there have been rumours that their star man Hernanes is on his way out, these tall tales have been (for the moment) quashed by hard-balling Lotito. There is no secret that Le Aquile are desperate for a striker, but even if rumoured target Helder Postiga remains just an ink blot in some papers, it should not be ignored that Miroslav Klose’s return to form under Reja could also be a huge boost.

Europe for Lazio does now seem like a possibility as they sit only five points from fifth-placed Inter. There is, of course, a long way to go and their squad is not perfect, but which squad is? Exclude the form of Juventus and Roma and there are cracks in all the main teams. Whether Milan, Inter, Fiorentina or even Napoli, there could be questions about the coach, the board, injuries or strength in depth.

The difference for Lazio is that, although they too may suffer from some of these minor idiosyncrasies, they have created a stable environment for which to start their 2014 campaign and they are out of the blocks quickly. Resurgent they certainly are and, for the short term, they are dangerous.

Edy Reja needs a result. The veteran coach has just replaced Vladimir Petkovic on the Lazio bench, ending a poorly handled and confusing period for the capital club, which involved the 68-year-old taking training with the squad while Petkovic was still insisting that he was the manager.

The Aquile currently sit 10th in the table, 11 points off Inter, who occupy the final Europa League spot in fifth. The Romans have won their last three against Inter, and four of the last six, but it remains to be seen if Reja will have enough of an impact on his side to inspire them to a win over Mazzarri's Inter, who are hard to beat this term, having only lost once in their last 10. 

The new man on the Lazio bench has been able to handle Mazzarri's tactics in the past, so it will be interesting to see what the Inter coach can do to get the upper hand. 

The last time these two coaches met, in April 2012, Reja's Lazio beat Napoli 3-1 at the Olimpico. Then Mazzarri was without several key players and had to start with an unfamiliar—and uncomfortable—back four for defence.

Reja's high-tempo, direct approach proved too much for Mazzarri's tactics that time, and it's likely that Lazio will try a similar style in this clash because, much like themselves, Inter are leaky at the back. The Nerazzurri have conceded 21 times so far this season, five less than Lazio but still three times more than Roma and almost double what Juventus have let in. 

The obvious battles to watch on the pitch will be at both ends. Lazio have been scoring, but no one player has really grabbed the responsibility for scoring and their top marksman, Antonio Candreva, has just four to his name.

More worrying is the fact that he's taken some 60 shots to find those four goals—more than double the attempts made by Inter's Rodrigo Palacio, who has 10 goals to his name. Candreva is dangerous, and Inter's defence has been far from exemplary under Mazzarri so far. But if he wants to fire Lazio to a win, the Roman will have to at least be on target—something that's far from a given. 

Only Juve have scored more than Inter this season, so Lazio's back line are in for a hard time. Reja will be hoping for plenty of energy from his side and will desperately want to halt a slide that saw them win just two of their last 12 under Petkovic.

One player who will have a huge effect on that will be Esteban Cambiasso. The 33-year-old Argentine has been in vintage form under Mazzarri and the way he marshals the midfield and distributes the ball might make it difficult for Lazio to get a look-in. Ogenyi Onazi passes well and will be vital to Lazio's efforts to get forward, while Reja should look to lock down the centre and disrupt Inter's attack threats—not least Ricky Alvarez—with Lucas Biglia, his side's top tackler. Inter, for their part, will be hoping to keep Hernanes under wraps. 

Off the pitch, the political battle between Petkovic and Lazio continues. The Bosnia-born Swiss coach is preparing to take legal action against the club for unfair dismissal, as his lawyer told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia). As such, there's a real danger that if Reja can't bring immediate success, owner Claudio Lotito will end up looking very foolish. He has, after all, just fired the man who brought such memorable cup success to the Biancocelesti just last summer.

Getting rid of Petkoivc was a risky tactic—we'll have to wait and see if it pays off. 

Lazio won the Coppa Italia final with a 1-0 win over bitter city rivals Roma, and as an added bonus will compete in the Europa League next season.

It was yet another display of the frenetic pace of the Derby della Capitale, as the past 12 matches between the two have now seen an astonishing 16 red cards handed out. Unfathomable numbers for any European match.

Both teams were desperately looking to acquire this piece of silverware after a disappointing domestic season which saw Roma and Lazio finish in 6th and 7th place respectively.

A Senad Lulic strike on a cross from Antonio Candreva would break the dead-lock in the 71st minute, as Roma pushed forward more vigorously but failed to capitalize on a few salivating opportunities. 

Francesco Totti came the closest to giving Roma an equalizer but his thunderous free-kick was denied by the crossbar.

It's a sad fate for Il Capitano, as we know how much it means to him to bring any type of trophy to his beloved Giallorossi, especially when the foe is Lazio. 

The 36-year old Totti can probably give another season or two before he'll fade off into the sunset. It's almost unfathomable to imagine a Serie A without Er Pupone, as he's been playing with Roma for more than two decades.

On the other side of town, Lazio can only improve. Under new coach Vladimir Petkovic, they built a balanced team which valiantly tried competing in the Europa League even though it would lead to their domestic demise.

Next year, expect the Biancocelesti to not only keep their main stars like Hernanes, but also add a few players to add much needed depth.

The Italian season is now completely over, and the always enthralling rumor mill will now commence. 

In Bocca Al Lupo to both of these Roman sides.

In this piece, Bleacher Report takes a look at Ogenyi Onazi, a Nigerian prodigy who looks set to have a big impact in the world of football.

While I could have chosen one of a number of more obscure players to report on in this piece, I felt that the claims of the youngster Onazi, as well as the early strides he has already taken in the game, make him an ideal subject for this work.

While Onazi was a key player in Nigeria’s recent Africa Cup of Nations victory, this was not the first time that the 20-year-old has been brought to the public’s attention. In fact, few players have been raised and developed with such expectation and anticipation as Onazi. His progress has long been a subtle narrative for Nigerians.

In 2008, influential pastor T.B. Joshua, a famous televangelist, minister and healer, founded his own football team My People F.C.

Joshua’s intention was to use the club as a philanthropic vehicle for keeping the unemployed youth from the streets, giving young people a purpose and direction and for allowing children to appreciate the many benefits of sport.

The non-profit enterprise has an overtly Christian message, and following its much-publicised origins, gained a major following in Nigeria after some impressive early victories. Games against the national youth teams and some established Premier League sides gave the club the momentum to recruit and grow.

Its early successes attracted the attention of Swedish side Bodens BK. The team were so impressed with Joshua’s approach, as well as some of the young talent on show, that they offered to give a platform to some of My People’s most promising players.

Following this, Onazi and his compatriot Sani Emmanuel were selected for the Nigerian U17 team. Before too long they both earned moves to Europe, and to Italian giants Lazio.

Initially, I would argue that Sani was the more promising of the pair. He was top scorer and best player at the 2009 U17 World Cup, and was reported to have trialled at both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur according to the Mirror. While only the latter offered him a permanent contract, he was eventually wooed by Lazio and chose to make the move to Italy.

Since the transfer, however, it is fair to say that he has struggled to live up to the early promise shown. Still only 20, it is obviously still early days, but the diminutive striker has failed to cement a position within the national setup, and has struggled when loaned out to Italian and Swiss lower-league sides.

Onazi, on the other hand, has flourished, and at the time of writing has taken his game to another level to that of Sani Emmanuel.

The Jos-born midfielder was promoted to the first team last season and made his debut in the final game of the campaign, replacing Senad Lulic late on as Lazio beat Atalanta. It was a sign of things to come, and over the summer he was groomed for a starting role.

It was clear that was to be his destiny this term.

Employed as a defensive midfielder in the heart of the side, Onazi was instructed by Bosnian boss Vladimir Petkovic to protect the more creative Cristian Ledesma and to use his strength and energy to regain possession and enforce the team’s shape.

It has perhaps been in the Europa League that Onazi has been the most impressive.

During an impressive campaign, Lazio topped their group and continued unbeaten until their defeat away at Fenerbahce in the quarterfinal.

The Nigerian was often key to their resiliency, particularly in an away 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur. Despite enjoying the lion’s share of the chances, Spurs were unable to break down the visitors, and Onazi looked composed and mature in his treatment of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon, Mousa Dembele et al.

By the time Onazi made his Nigeria debut there was enormous expectation surrounding the player’s re-emergence in the land of his birth. The religious origins of his development, and the quirk that he was born on Christmas Day, have generated a great deal of intrigue and goodwill concerning his progress—particularly in Nigeria’s predominantly Christian south.

The debut came in an Afcon qualifying match against Liberia in October in Calabar. Onazi impressed as the Super Eagles ran out 6-1 winners, booking their place in the South African spectacle.

Here was where hope became reality, where optimism became belief and where Stephen Keshi’s Super Eagles rolled back years of disappointment to claim the nation’s third African crown—ending a wait of 19 years.

Despite not starting the competition, Onazi entered the fray as a substitute in the team’s opener against Burkina Faso. It was clear that he was keen to snatch his opportunity at the continental high table, and by the knockout stage he had muscled into the first XI at the expense of Fegor Ogude and Nosa Igiebor.

Operating as part of a midfield three alongside Sunday Mba and John Obi Mikel, Onazi predominantly worked as the water carrier, or the defensive shield, working relentlessly to provide a platform for the other two, regaining possession and keeping the ball moving sensibly.

As the season comes to a close, Onazi is performing strongly. A delicious strike against Internazionale in Lazio’s recent 3-1 victory brought him to the attention of a wider Italian audience, while he looks set to continue his international instruction at this summer’s Confederations Cup in Brazil.

A place in next summer’s World Cup awaits, and while there is still learning to be done in the Italian capital, Onazi is clearly a young man keen to continue his impressive trajectory. He has identified Chelsea—currently enjoying massive popularity in Nigeria due to the presence of John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses—as an ideal future home, and Blues fans would surely be licking their lips at the prospect of such an exciting young talent.

Lazio ended a four-match winless skid in emphatic style on Sunday, beating Bologna 6-0 at Stadio Olimpico and pulling to within three points of city rivals Roma and Serie A’s final Europa League spot.

Leading the charge for the Biancocelesti was Miroslav Klose, whose incredible quintet took his season total to 15 goals and equaled a mark that hadn’t been reached in more than 27 years.

The 34-year-old got things started in the 21st minute, tapping home a rebound after Antonio Candreva’s initial shot was stopped by Bologna goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic.

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Hernanes doubled the scoreline 10 minutes later, but Klose closed out the period with two goals in three minutes—the first coming after a well-timed Senad Lulic counter-attack and the second, which completed his hat-trick, following an Abdoulay Konko cross that put him in alone on Stojanovic.

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And just to put the match completely out of reach for the visitors, the Germany international headed in his fourth goal of the contest just five minutes after the restart—Candreva again playing provider with an accurate, arching ball to his teammate.

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Then, shortly after the hour-mark, Klose got his fifth goal thanks to a sublime pass from fellow forward Sergio Floccari.

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Any chance of a sixth goal was put to bed in the 68th minute when Vladimir Petkovic substituted Klose, who came off to a raucous ovation, with Louis Saha.

With 16 goals in all competitions, Klose has already equalized his entire haul of last season with three matches to play.

Lazio, meanwhile, find themselves seventh in Serie A, two points back of Udinese and three adrift of the Giallorossi. Their remaining matches will be away to Inter Milan, at home to Sampdoria and away to Cagliari to close out the campaign on May 19.

So were the doubters right all along? Vladimir Petkovic looked like he'd proved his critics wrong at Lazio, but a run of shocking form at home coupled with a loss to Fenerbahce in the Europa League leaves the Aquile on the precipice of complete collapse. 

Petkovic's summer appointment to the Lazio bench was certainly a surprise. Many questioned the rationality of entrusting such a high-profile position to a manager with little experience outside of European football's periphery. 

Though not one of Italy's most successful clubs, Lazio are certainly among Serie A's highest-profile teams, and common wisdom stated that it deserved a man of experience and some international standing. 

With Petkovic, Lazio president Claudio Lotito chose a less obvious option. Though well-travelled both as a player and a coach, the Bosnian had never made it to the higher reaches of the game. And until he took over at Young Boys in 2008, he juggled his managerial career with another, at the Christian charity Caritas. 

Taking over at the Stadio Olimpico was a step up, to say the least. Right from the start, however, the confident and calm Petkovic set about proving himself worthy.

Straight out of the gates, his little-fancied Lazio showed themselves to be serious contenders, winning seven of their first 10 games and keeping pace with Juventus at the top of the table. 

At the start of the new year, things were going well in the league, the Coppa Italia and the Europa League, and the hitherto unknown manager from Switzerland was suddenly heralded as the find of the season in European football. He'd transformed a ragged-looking Lazio side left by Edy Reja into genuine contenders for silverware. Great things were to come. 

Fast forward to Thursday night in Istanbul's Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, and the picture couldn't be more different. 

Lazio had just collapsed under the pressure of Fenerbahce's assault, going down to 10 men and conceding twice. It was their whole season in microcosm. 

Petkovic's side had the better start, dominating the early possession and pace of the game. It was a good team effort and one that was lifted by several impressive individual moments.

But as the game developed, their opponents seemed to adapt well to the Aquile's obvious, straightforward tactics and eventually the Turkish side established themselves.

Disrupting Lazio's play, Fenerbahce became dominant. Lazio were unable to adapt and were left to rue the fact that they'd not made more of earlier chances—a weakness that's dogged them all season.

Were it not thanks to Federico Marchetti and the wood work, the scoreline would have been a lot worse, and after Ogenyi Onazi's sending off the visitors stood no chance. 

The game highlighted something that's been bothering observers all season: Lazio have no plan B. Petkovic has created a solid unit that performs well when allowed to dictate a game's tempo and play to their own strengths, but his Lazio falls apart when on the back foot.

Coupled to that, there's not enough quality throughout the squad to compete on three different fronts across a whole season. Lazio's starting 11 has plenty of talent, but when a key member like Miroslav Klose or Hernanes is missing through injury or suspension, the loss is immediately apparent.

The veteran German striker is the only member of the Lazio team to score than eight goals—and he's only on 10. Put another way, Napoli's Edinson Cavani and Milan's Stephan El Shaarawy have scored more goals than the whole Lazio squad put together.  

They started this Serie A season well, but Lazio have now only won twice since mid-January and have lost six. They were trashed by minnows Siena and saw their good work overturned in the return legs of clashes with Milan and Fiorentina, both of whom they'd beat convincingly before the winter break. 

Up next, the small matter of the Rome derby followed by Juventus. It's not inconceivable that, after being touted as possible Scudetto contenders a few months back, Lazio could soon find themselves languishing in mid-table with no hope of returning to the European qualification spots. 

It's a tough end to the season for the Biancocelesti, as they face not only Inter but also solid outfits like Sampdoria and Bologna in the closing stages of the season. Lotito's gamble is once again being questioned. 

It might be that Petkovic has simply asked too much of his players. Challenging in the league, reaching the domestic cup final and competing in Europe is a balancing act that has troubled much bigger, more expensive set-ups in the past and Lazio could just be out of steam. Not that it should come as a surprise. The manager made his methods clear very early on.

“I always expect more from people and that includes myself," he told the press when he first came to Rome. "When we reach 100 percent, I’ll ask for 110 percent the day after.”

Lazio have been at 110 percent for too long now. There's only so long they can continue in the redline before something breaks. 

It was a pivotal match for Napoli" href="http://bleacherreport.com/napoli" target="_blank">Napoli to maintain their choke hold on fleeting Juventus" href="http://bleacherreport.com/juventus" target="_blank">Juventus, as going six points behind the bianconeri would prove disastrous for their dream of winning a scudetto for the first time since 1990.

Lazio's home record at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome is formidable, as they've won nine out of 12 matches in Serie A this season. Despite succumbing to injury in recent months, with the loss of German hit man Miroslav Klose being the most notable, the resurgent Sergio Floccari stepped in to keep Lazio in Champions League contention.

Having netted five goals in the last six appearances for Lazio, Floccari hasn't let biancocelesti fans become nostalgic for Klose. The oft-injured Italian hit man has failed to cement himself into any particular team in recent years, as his best season came during his Atalanta days. However, Floccari has delivered the goods after receiving renewed faith from coach Vladimir Petkovic.

On this day, Floccari was not only the sole goal scorer for Lazio, but hit the post twice. The first time with a curling masterpiece from 35 yards out, and then a thunderous header in the dying minutes which rattled off the crossbar of Morgan De Sanctis.

Needing a goal, Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri inserted three offensive players: Omar El Kaddouri, new acquisition Emanuele Calaio and the tricky youngster Lorenzo Insigne. It was El Kaddouri's corner kick to defender Hugo Campagnaro which proved to be the deciding factor to help Napoli acquire a precious point, in a match that ended as an exhilarating 1-1 tie.

There's no doubting Lazio was the better team during the entire course of the match. Despite Napoli's constant pressure and always dangerous counter attacking, it was the home team that looked more dangerous on a plethora of created chances.

Also worth mentioning the debut of the highly experienced Louis Saha, who joined the Roman outfit in the last days of the January transfer window from Sunderland. Even though he's 34 years old, Saha can relieve a very thin Lazio striking core. With Klose injured and Mauro Zarate perennially in the dog house, Saha will get his chances to show he's still capable of helping a team with European aspirations.

Overall, this match was yet another striking counter argument to the highly outdated notion that the Serie A is a slow, boring league. For neutrals, it was a heart warming reminder of the passion felt by two of the greatest fan bases in Italy who have been starved of important silverware in recent times.

Enough is enough.

Last month, in the wake of the John Terry suspension, I wrote an article about racism in Italian soccer.  I made particular mention of S.S. Lazio, a club that was at the time under investigation for making racist chants during their Europa League match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.  Lazio was eventually fined €40,000, a paltry sum that obviously did not send much of a message to the fans of the Roman club.

During Lazio's return match against Tottenham at the Stadio Olimpico this past Thursday, Lazio fans reportedly started making anti-Semitic chants of "Juden Tottenham"—a reference to the club's deep ties with the Jewish community in their North London base.  Some fans went so far as to wave Palestinian flags and chant "Free Palestine" in an effort to taunt Spurs fans, who often refer to themselves as the "Yid Army."

Even more distressing, a group of Tottenham fans were assaulted at a Rome bar before the match. The attackers once again were heard shouting anti-Semitic comments as they attacked the visiting fans.  Seven were sent to the hospital, including one with stab wounds.

Now, much is still to be determined about the incident in Campo de' Fiori.  Italian police have made arrests in the case, including two known Roma fans.  This throws doubt as to whether Lazio fans are responsible, or at least entirely responsible.

While the events of the attack are far from certain, much less so is the conduct of Lazio fans inside the Stadio Olimpico.  It's the second time this year that Lazio fans have been accused of racist acts, and it's time for some real punishment to be doled out.

When Juventus fans racially abused Mario Balotelli several years ago while he was still an Inter player, the Bianconeri were almost immediately forced by FIGC to play their next home game behind closed doors.  

Why Lazio has not been punished similarly despite being a repeat offender is beyond comprehension.

The Roman club's fans have been given the impression that this sort of behavior is acceptable for far too long.  It's time to take the toys away from the children.  Lazio should be forced to play their next home matches in both the Europa League and Serie A behind closed doors.  

Maybe then the fans in Italy will begin to pull themselves out of the Dark Ages and start behaving in an acceptable manner during games.