Can Belahyane Retain Lazio Role When Rovella & Cataldi Are Back? | OneFootball

Reda Belahyane has been enjoying his best run since joining Lazio in February 2025, but with Nicolo Rovella and Danilo Cataldi back in the fold, his place in Gennaro Gattuso’s lineup is under threat.

The Hierarchy

Since the 2024/25 campaign, Rovella has been Lazio’s undisputed first-choice Regista. The 24-year-old is a modern deep-lying playmaker blessed with remarkable vision and an ability to spray short and long passes.

Sadly for the Genoa youth product, he spent the bulk of the previous campaign on the treatment table due to two serious injuries. In his absence, Maurizio Sarri handed the midfield keys to Cataldi. While the latter is less creative than Rovella, he is far more experienced and has the ability to shield the backline, which remains a weakness in Rovella’s game.

On the other hand, Belahyane wasn’t even part of the conversation, with Sarri omitting the Moroccan from his plans since receiving his marching orders after September’s Derby della Capitale defeat.

New Season, New Chance for Belahyane

With Cataldi out of action since undergoing groin surgery in the summer, and Rovella suffering a muscle injury at the start of the season, Gattuso had no other choice but to resort to Belahyane in the No.6 role.

However, one could argue that the absence of the two Italian midfielders proved to be a blessing in disguise for Lazio, who rediscovered a player who had been on the periphery for an entire year.

Like Cataldi, Belahyane cannot replace Rovella’s creativity, but he’s been excelling in the defensive phase, closing down spaces at the back, helping Lazio’s defenders deal with opposition attackers, and constantly winning back possession. In other words, he’s developing into a holding midfielder in the Claude Makélélé mould.

Thanks to the former Hellas Verona star’s defensive solidity and ability to cover acres of ground, Davide Frattesi, Kenneth Taylor and the full-backs are encouraged to push forward constantly.

So, the question that begs itself is: What will be Belahyane’s fate now that Cataldi and Rovella are expected to be available after the international break?

Can Belahyane coexist with Rovella?

At first glance, it appears that Lazio have three players vying for the Regista role, which creates a selection headache for the coach, especially in the absence of European and domestic cups. However, it should be noted that Taylor, Frattesi, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru are the only three full-fledged senior players vying for the two box-to-box roles.

So, ideally speaking, Gattuso can find the right balance by switching one of Belahyane, Rovella, or Cataldi to a mezzala role. In this case, Belahyane would be able to play alongside Rovella (or Cataldi) in the same lineup, while giving Frattesi and Taylor the opportunity to reset when their physical levels inevitably drop at some stage during the season.

Who Should Switch to Mezzala?

While Rovella is considered the more natural Regista in the traditional Italian sense, Belahyane has been a reliable presence in the deep role, so removing him at this stage threatens to sabotage the newly found balance in the middle of the park. Moreover, if Gattuso intends to build his reign on meritocracy, dropping the in-form Moroccan could send the wrong message to the club.

It would also be interesting to see how Rovella would cope in a more advanced role on the pitch. Perhaps he would enjoy the lighter defensive duties, as he wouldn’t be forced to commit the lazy challenges that have often blighted his performances.

Furthermore, playing further up the pitch means he’ll be able to put a teammate on goal with one clever pass alla Luis Alberto, and if there’s one Lazio player who has the technical skills to pull it off, then it has to be the former Juventus player.

At this moment, this remains a curious theory, but perhaps one worth a try.