I've been meaning to post something on these English pages for a couple of weeks now, but I just haven't had the time. I'm bilingual, in the sense that I grew up with two mother tongues, but all my schooling was done in English, and as such I find it easier to write in English. And yet I keep struggling in Italian. So here's my tuppence:
To say that I'm delighted is a rather obvious statement. I don't want to sound smug either, but I don't really have any apologies to say to anyone. I love everything about the current Lazio, and unlike Tarallo, I don't really think that Lazio are playing ugly football. But I will concede that we (Tarallo and I) probably have very differing standards. I know that we played more offensively under Delio Rossi, but I will trade the harmony of Reja's Lazio to the temperamental times of Delio (to whom I'm very grateful though, it must be said).
What do I like about this Lazio? I've always liked Radu, since he first arrived and before Delio Rossi forgot about him. I like defenders who are comfortable on the ball. Radu and Dias both possess this assuredness by the bucketload. And it seems to be catching on, as Biava has improved a great deal (possibly the only apology I owe is to him, who didn't impress me much last season). Licht has returned to his pre-Ballardini form, and Cavanda is a fantastic prospect for the future and present (another wonderful player on the ball). The back four are playing great and conceding very little (2.75 shots per game conceded, best in Serie A). Incidentally, I'm absolutely delighted we sold Kolarov. He was my most berated player last season, ask the poor people who sat next to me at the Olimpico. How many goals did we concede from his side when he was too lazy to return to defend?
Midfield? Well, my avatar has been Mauri since about last April. Never booed him and always insulted those that did. Love Brocchi, what a leader on the pitch. Ledesma is the midfield dam that he's always been; remember when we used to lose every game he didn't play? And Hernanes? Well... speechless. But I think the secret this year is the abbundance. To those who complain about Matuzalem's absence, I say that right now it suits us to have a player like him who can only play every so often. In his one full game, he was majestic. And while we keep winning, and thanks to Reja who has instilled a team ethic in his players, those on the bench don't seem to mind too much. Thanks Foggia, Del Nero and Bresciano.
The same is true for up front. Rocchi is being very mature, and long may it last. Floccari is playing fantastically, and Zarate is learning what playing in a team is all about. And Kozak is there when needed.
One last thought on Reja vs Rossi. As I said I'm deeply grateful to Rossi for the wonderful years and the Cup win with him. However, if I have to pick something, I got the feeling that he was sometimes found lacking in his relationship with the players. In particular, I got the idea that he was not very good at giving a player 'bad news'. How often were players dropped, and they went to the press to complain about their relationship with Delio? Well, Reja seems very different. He has instilled a great relationship with the players where everyone feels part of the project in hand. This is the little that I can see from outside, and I know that success is the best medicine, but the atmosphere around Camp Lazio is the most serene it's been in a while.
And it's even improving inside the stands of the Stadio Olimpico. The much berrated Tessera del Tifoso seems to have helped clean up the Curva Nord a little. I'm not sure how much this is just a surface situation, but things are much, much better than last season. We'll have to wait and see what happens when we hit a bad patch.
Thanks and Forza Lazio
