Three Things We Learned From Lazio vs Bologna: The Adored Foe & the Enemy From Within | OneFootball

On an evening that witnessed Ciro Immobile’s grand return to the Stadio Olimpico, it could only take a bold act to steal the limelight away from Lazio’s all-time goalscorer.

Gustav Isaksen and his compatriot Jens Odgaard both got on the scoresheet, but neither could claim the evening to be his, especially with the two sides sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw. But sometimes, all it takes is an impulsive act of madness to grab all the headlines. After all, no good story is complete without a good-fashioned villain.

The irony for Lazio is that their returning hero embraced them, donning the opponent’s crest on his chest, while their true enemy revealed himself in Biancocelesti colors.

Mario Gila’s Mad Act Embodies Immature Lazio

Before we begin, it should be clarified that the ‘enemy’ mentioned above is not Mario Gila as a person or a player, but his ill-advised act, which had already been displayed by some of his teammates this season, most famously Matteo Guendouzi in the Derby della Capitale.

Due to the alarming lack of young players within the Biancocelesti ranks, one wouldn’t imagine witnessing this many silly blunders, especially from those who are considered essential members of the starting XI.

The successive visits from Luis Alberto, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and lastly Immobile may have stirred up old scars for Maurizio Sarri, who admitted that his current squad could do with the sort of quality that his former players had possessed.

Unfortunately, the current crop isn’t at the same level, especially from a technical standpoint, a fact that the manager never tried to mask. Therefore, the players must understand by now that the only way to move forward this season is by sticking together, working as a unit, and above all, avoiding mistakes that the club cannot afford.

For instance, Gila’s mad act halted the team’s momentum right when they were closing in on the winner. Hence, Lazio dropped two valuable points and now sit in an abysmal 10th place in the Serie A table, wondering what could have been.

Nuno Tavares Needs to be Taken Out of His Misery

Sarri might not be a foreseer, but he had enough tactical wisdom to understand long ago that Nuno Tavares wasn’t, still isn’t, and will never be his left-back, at least not in a functional capacity.

Luca Pellegrini is a born and bred Laziale, so the club’s supporters everywhere were delighted to welcome the newborn Sebastiano Pellegrini to the big Biancocelesti family. Nevertheless, the absence of the Italian full-back entailed a starting opportunity for his Portuguese teammate, who endured a real nightmare against Nadir Zortea and Riccardo Orsolini.

Nuno Tavares (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

The former Arsenal star was hauled off at half-time before causing further damage, and at this point, the management should take heed and relieve him from his misery.

Tavares certainly isn’t a bad player, but he just seems completely inapt to Sarri’s formation, which requires defensively sound full-backs. Perhaps he would fare better as a wingback in a side that plays with three at the back, or even better, a different league where attacking football is more celebrated.

In any case, Lazio must act sooner rather than later.

Isaksen vs Cancellieri: The Denied Run-Off

Lazio may have 24-25 players in their first team, but the starting lineup almost picks itself every weekend, as the gap between the starters and the substitutes has widened recently. Aside from the full-back dilemma between Pellegrini and Manuel Lazzari, the only role that remains up for grabs is the right winger.

At the start of the season, Matteo Cancellieri climbed the hierarchy, taking advantage of Gustav Iskasen’s lengthy illness. Just when the Dane was making his return to action in October, the Italian suffered an injury that ruled him out of action. This time, the roles have been reversed, with Isaksen sustaining a knock when Cancellieri recovered.

While we hope that the Denmark international’s absence won’t be long this time, it feels as if we’re being denied from witnessing the best and almost solitary run-off for a spot in the Lazio starting XI.

Only a few weeks separate us from the midway point of the season, and we still have no clue who Sarri would choose if he had both wingers fully healthy and available at his disposal.