Three Things We Learned From Juventus vs Lazio: Romagnoli’s Departure Won’t Be Tragic | OneFootball

In what was one of the most entertaining contests of the Serie A campaign, Juventus and Lazio shared the spoils with the final score showing 2-2.

Prior to the 45th-minute mark, had someone offered Maurizio Sarri’s men a draw, they would have probably bitten his hand off. After all, the Biancocelesti were disoriented, outplayed, and suffocating from the pressure posed by the Bianconeri, who by all means should have been in the lead if it wasn’t for their lacklustre finishing.

And yet, when the final whistle blew, Lazio were left to rue a golden opportunity to complete the double over their northern rivals, as they had squandered a healthy two-goal lead and conceded a 96th-minute equalizer.

So here are our three takeaways from a thrilling match that may have appeased the neutral but left both sets of players disgruntled with the lack of points they earned.

Oliver Provstgaard Ready to Fill Alessio Romagnoli’s Boots

While Alessio Romagnoli’s departure was delayed, it remains very much on the cards ahead of the upcoming summer, as the unhappy defender is still betrothed to Al-Sadd. But while Sarri had depicted the 31-year-old exit as a major tragedy for the backline, Oliver Provstgaard has once again proved he’s up to the task, putting on a big performance against a top opponent.

Needless to say, the Dane cannot be expected to organize the backline and act as a defensive leader at the age of 22, but he offers a robust presence at the back and is willing to put his body in harm’s way.

If Mario Gila is also destined to leave, then Lazio should try to pair Provstgaard with an experienced profile who can act as a mentor and help him improve his game, as he has the potential to become one of the best centre-backs in the league.

Daniel Maldini Can Lead the Line for Lazio, But There’s a Catch

On Sunday, Sarri was proven right, as Daniel Maldini was indeed the right choice for the centre-forward role. The 24-year-old had a slow start, but he gradually grew into the match and became a thorn in Gleison Bremer’s side, not to mention picking Manuel Locatelli’s pocket to create an out-of-the-blue opening goal.

Daniel Maldini (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

The versatile attacker is seemingly capable of leading the line in this sort of contest, with Lazio laying low and harrying their opponents on the counterattack. However, it remains to be seen if he can be as effective against compact defences, when he’d have to go shoulder-to-shoulder in tight spaces against centre-backs.

It should be remembered that the third-generation player often dropped deep or drifted wide on his debut against Genoa, suggesting he wasn’t entirely comfortable with that role. Nevertheless, Sarri will be keen to round out his skill set and win this bet, as he doesn’t seem to be too fond of Petar Ratkov, who represents a more classic version of a centre-forward.

Sarri Must Unleash Rovella-Cataldi Tandem

When Sarri proclaimed that Matteo Guendouzi wasn’t properly replaced, he certainly had a valid point. The Lazio head coach switched the left-footed Toma Basic to the right side of the midfield trident to fill the gap, but the Croatian has now sustained an injury that could keep him out for a while.

This knock served as a massive blow for the Aquile, as the lack of quality options in the middle of the park has been exposed. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru came on for Basic, but the Nigerian’s mediocre display justified Sarri’s reluctance to play him. Reda Belahyane is almost in the same boat, while thrusting Adrian Przyborek in this role could be premature.

Since the start of the season, Sarri had insisted that he only sees Danilo Cataldi and Nicolo Rovella as deep-lying playmakers. But as they say, desperate times require desperate measures, and the Tuscan tactician has certainly been forced into making significantly more bizarre choices throughout this unusual campaign than to combine the two Italian midfielders.

Once fit, Rovella can be easily considered Lazio’s most skilful midfielder, while Cataldi has arguably been the most reliable this term. Hence, dropping one or the other to the bench while fielding underachievers would be criminal.

On the other hand, a midfield trident of Kenneth Taylor, Cataldi and Rovella could be Lazio’s best possible option at this stage, regardless of which Regista is switched to the box-to-box role.