Last season was an enjoyable one for everyone connected with SS Lazio. Despite the disappointment on not pipping Udinese to the coveted fourth spot - and the accompanying Champions League Playoff berth that comes with it - the Biancocelesti were largely impressive and a vast improvement on the previous years twelfth place finish.

Having overcome the infighting, contract disputes and disharmony, the Aquile soared, putting in some hugely impressive performances and leading the league for a number of weeks. The team scored 16 times more than in the previous campaign whilst also conceding just 39 goals, tying them with Napoli as the second best defence in the league behind champions Milan. They also played one of the most pleasing brands of football in Serie A, completing 82% of passes (behind only the two Milan clubs) while maintaining 55% possession (Serie A's fifth highest).

Of course Lazio's improvement was down to the fantastic team effort drawn from the squad by coach Edy Reja, but there is no doubting the impact of their newly acquired and hugely talented midfielder Hernanes. The Brazilian recorded five assists, an 81.21% pass completion rate and a team high eleven goals, which brings us to the first problem.

While there were many improvements, their goal scoring was comparatively poor and as many as six teams scored more goals. It was an area the club looked to address immediately, signing Miroslav Klose on a free transfer after his deal with Bayern Munich expired. The Polish-born striker almost single-handedly increases the attacking threat of the club, given that his 61 international goal haul is 28 more than the total of the entire squad combined.

That improvement only increases when looking at his career goals per game ratio in top flight football. At 0.39 his is markedly better than the clubs main strikers Tommaso Rocchi (0.33) and Sergio Floccari (0.27). Given that those two players have also notched just ten European goals compared to the 25 Klose has scored in just 74 appearances, the leap in class becomes even more apparent. While the past two seasons have not been his best, the 33 year old continues to net at international level, proving he still has much to offer.

If the addition of Klose is a step in the right direction, it is tough to make the same argument at the other end where Federico Marchetti finally ended his dispute with Cagliari to replace 'Nando Muslera who heads to Galatasaray. While the new man has made an average of 3.74 saves per game (better than the Uruguayan's 3.18) it is somewhat of a stretch to believe a player with just six international caps is better than a man who came fourth at the World Cup and won the recent Copa América.

One of last seasons biggest departures was that of left-back Aleksandar Kolarov to Manchester City, yet André Dias and Javier Garrido ensured the Serbian's absence was not too severely felt. It is a pattern the club will look to repeat this coming season as the €10 million sale of Stephan Lichtsteiner to Juventus leaves a similar issue on the opposite flank. To replace him Lazio have ironically turned to former Bianconeri player Abdoulay Konko, brought in from Genoa for €4.5m.

The two men match up well in a number of categories, with the new man recording one assist to his predecessors two and a single yellow to the Swiss defenders eight. After that however Lichtsteiner's class tells and he dominates almost every other statistic. His 2.1 tackles per game is far better than Konko's 0.61, he won 59% of aerial duels to the Frenchman's 51%, completed more passes - 81% compared to 76% - and more crosses (1.09 per game to 0.17). Somewhat surprisingly Lichtsteiner also fouled less, his 0.88 per game better than Konko's 1.11.

Other surprises were the arrivals of Lorik Cana, who will most likely vie for playing time with Cristian Ledesma and Matuzalém, as well as the capture of Djibril Cissé from Panathinaikos. The former Liverpool man has topped the Greek league scoring charts in each of the past two seasons and alongside Klose provides yet another scoring threat.

While it remains to be seen how these new signings gel in Reja's system - or indeed if the coach will make alterations to it - it is clear that despite losing two outstanding players, with Cisse, Klose, Cana, Marchetti and Konko, Lazio have made some smart signings of their own. Their losing streak in the derby may continue, but given the upheaval at Roma, the Eagles will hope to continue looking down the table at the Giallorossi for at least another season.