Three Things We Learned From Pisa vs Lazio: The One-Trick Pony | OneFootball

Just four days removed from an instantly famous win over Juventus, Lazio made a step backwards in Pisa on Thursday.

While a point on the road isn’t a disastrous outcome by any means, the poor quality displayed at the Arena Garibaldi cannot be neglected, with the two teams spending the bulk of the contest trading the ball in the middle of the park, while showing little to no urgency in the final third. So here are some of our takeaways from the dull midweek affair.

Lazio Only Know How to Counter

In recent weeks, we have been singing Maurizio Sarri’s praise for his newfound pragmatism, which saw him trade his possession-based philosophy for a system based primarily on direct counterattacking football in order to accommodate the characteristics of the players he’s been forced to work with.

But while this approach bore its fruits against Juventus, it was significantly less effective against Alberto Gilardino’s men, who also tend to leave the initiative to the opponent and try to hurt them on the break.

While Sarri’s new system could pay off against big clubs who tend to leave spaces at the back when pushing forward, they will have to find their creative edge when playing against smaller teams who aren’t interested in leaving their own areas.

Lazio Need Another Striker

Taty Castellanos might not be everyone’s Cup of Tea, but his absence has always been felt, whether last season or this term. After all, the 27-year-old has been the club’s only consistent goal-scorer since Ciro Immobile’s departure.

On the other hand, Boulaye Dia has been unable to pose himself as a threat to the opposition while leading the line, as evidenced once more by his listless display in Pisa. The Senegalese has only been able to produce the goods when playing off Castellanos, while Pedro’s False 9 experiment in the second half was far from convincing. Finally, Tijjani Noslin has been completely lost in the shuffle.

Therefore, the Biancocelesti arguably lack another centre-forward who can spearhead the lineup when Castellanos is not available. Moreover, providing the Argentine with healthy competition wouldn’t hurt either.

Pedro Makes the Right Call

At the end of last season, many felt that Pedro should have left on a high note after enjoying one of his most successful seasons, at least on a personal level. Nevertheless, the veteran couldn’t resist extending his stay in the Italian capital, perhaps sparked by the desire to bring the club back to Europe following last season’s disastrous finale.

But after Thursday’s contest in Pisa, Pedro made it abundantly clear that this will be his last season in Rome, and based on his recent performances, it certainly feels like a wise decision.

While the versatile attacker has managed to defy Father Time for so long, he’s finally beginning to show his years. At this stage, Sarri believes he’s too slow to play in his original role on the wings, but he has also struggled to influence the action from the centre where he can easily be outnumbered and outmuscled.

Therefore, Lazio fans ought to enjoy the legendary player’s presence while they still can, while commending him for making the right call at the right time.