Currently battling away at the top of Serie A, undoubtedly benefiting from poor starts to the season by both Milanese clubs, Lazio and Juventus meet this coming weekend in what looks set to be a highly intriguing encounter. Each have impressed during the early part of the season as both have major strengths and yet both sides are flawed and will undoubtedly rely on the continued malaise at Milan and Inter - as well as their own form - if their challenges are to be sustained.
The continuity at Lazio has been central to their emergence as a genuine force in Italian football. The Rome-based club have stabilised under Edy Reja, building a squad to suit his playing style and tactical approach. The coach has benefited from a sound transfer strategy, something completely alien since Claudio Lotito took control of the club seven years ago. They may have lost important players in ‘Nando Muslera and Stephan Lichtsteiner, but they were replaced intelligently as Federico Marchetti and Abdoulay Konko arrived. The goalkeeper in particular has impressed, having already made over 50 saves during 2010-11 and earning a WhoScored.com average rating of 7.00.
Those two players form part of a defence which has been hugely impressive, conceding just eight goals in the opening eleven fixtures this term, a run which includes clean sheets against usually top quality attacking forces Palermo and Napoli. Mobido Diakité (7.32 WhoScored rating) has come into the side and, despite making just five starts, leads Serie A with 67 clearances (an average of 9.6 per game). Joining them are the equally important André Dias - who has weighed in with 3.1 tackles and 2.9 interceptions per game - and Bosnian Senad Lulic who both average 7.07 in the WhoScored ratings.
At the opposite end of the field the squad was strengthened massively through the captures of Miroslav Klose and Djibril Cissé, the goal scorers so clearly missing from the club last season. The German international - who struggled at club level for Bayern Munich over the last two seasons - has settled into Serie A instantly, scoring eight goals in thirteen appearances. Netting the winner in the Rome derby last month no doubt endeared him forever to the Lazio faithful, while his supremely popular new strike partner Djibril Cissé has just one goal to date yet his four assists place him fourth in the league.
Despite the success of these new arrivals, perhaps their best piece of transfer business this past summer was retaining the services of Brazilian playmaker Hernanes, a man whose creativity, vision and invention made him comfortably the club’s stand-out player last season. He has been central once more, chipping in with three goals and ensuring the midfield continues to supply quality possession and chances for the in-form strikers.
Standing level on points at the summit of Serie A, with a slightly better goal difference to Lazio, are a resurgent Juventus. Despite Antonio Conte’s desire to paint them as underdogs and suppress the enormous expectations of the clubs fans - a hugely negative influence in recent seasons - their unbeaten start to the season means they are undoubtedly seen as serious challengers.
Central to their good form to date is a completely overhauled midfield where standout homegrown player Claudio Marchisio has been joined by the tireless Arturo Vidal and Italian World Cup winner Andrea Pirlo. Marchisio, so often shunted around to plug gaps under Ciro Ferrara and Gigi Delneri, has finally been given the chance to prove his ability with a sustained run in his preferred position. No longer asked to be an auxiliary winger or wasted as a defensive midfielder, his natural talent has proven to be on a par with his always stellar work ethic and seen him net five goals, an assist and the clubs second best average rating (7.47).
That Milan legend Pirlo is the only man to better that (averaging 7.51, good enough for seventh best in the country) is testament not only to his ability but proof positive he still has so much to offer at the highest level. He has completed more passes than any player in the league, making 795 successful attempts at an eye-catching 86%. Vidal has dropped into Marchisio’s former utility role, playing in a number of positions and his tactical awareness - comfortably on a par with that of his Italian team-mate - makes the pair a weapon for Conte in both attack and defence and they play a huge role in the pressing style demanded by the new coach.
New addition Lichtsteiner, signed from Lazio this past summer, Andrea Barzagli, Simone Pepe and Gigi Buffon have all been superb, filling the roles asked of them very well. Pepe in particular, playing well enough to earn an international recall from Cesare Prandelli, has stood out. His consistency and willingness to adhere to Conte’s tactical ideals have seen him keep Eljero Elia and Milos Krasic, both unquestionably more talented than the Roman, on the bench. In attack Alessandro Matri - who’s five goals puts him joint top of the clubs charts (with Marchisio) - has led the line well since Conte switched away from 4-4-2 to a formation that fluctuates between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1.
This game is delicately poised, a match between two teams doing surprisingly well and the outcome will teach us much about both. The same fixture last season was won by a once-in-a-lifetime pass from Momo Sissoko and it may take something equally surprising to seperate them this time round.
