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LAZIO
Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
September 9, 2011; 18:45 GMT
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Serie A finally kicks off this weekend with the defending champions, Milan, taking on Lazio. The players’ strike has been resolved and finally Serie A fans can look forward to some action, after all the other leagues have started in a slam-bang fashion. If the pre-season banter is to be believed, both Milan and Lazio are coming into the new season as strong teams. Milan have bolstered their squad with key acquisitions – mainly in the midfield department. Also, players such as Ibrahimovic and Boateng, who played a key role in last year’s triumph, have been bought on a permanent basis.
The free signings of Taiwo and Mexes have given a boost to the often injury-plagued back-line. One of the most exciting transfers of this season was that of Stephen El Sharrawy from Genoa. If rumors are to be believed, this 18-year-old can blossom into one of the best under the right guidance. Just before the transfer window closed, Milan captured the midfield duo of Alberto Aquilani from Liverpool and Antonio Nocerino from Palermo. With a squad full of amazing individuals and a manager eager to prove his worth, Milan will be difficult to suppress this season.
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On the other hand, Lazio fans have been on a high during the last transfer window. Coach Edy Reja was instrumental in Lazio’s rapid early-season rise last year, when he bought a youngster named Hernanes. With a team fuelled by the creativity of Hernanes, Lazio remained at the top of the table for a whole month, before sliding down to a 5th place finish. Missing out on a Champions League spot did hurt them, as from next year Italy will have three teams in Europe’s elite competition instead of four.
Djibril Cisse was the big catch for them during the last transfer window, as the ex-Liverpool man has been in great goal-scoring form for his former side, Panathinaikos. A marquee signing in the form of Miroslav Klose has re-ignited the belief among the fans of Le Aquile. But two transfers that can come to haunt them would be Muslera to Galatasaray and Lichtsteiner to Juventus.
Team News and Tactical Brief
AC Milan
With a relatively successful transfer window behind him, Allegri would look to consolidate on Milan’s position from last year. The pre-season has been a pretty successful one – the high point being Milan clinching the SuperCoppa Italiana by defeating Internazionale in the final held in Beijing. With the average age of the squad coming down by quite a few years, Milan can boast of a younger roster that will hopefully remain injury-free for most of the season. In all likelihood, Nocerino will warm the bench with Emanuelson.
Alberto Aquilani, in yesterday’s press conference had this to say about his new employers – “I’ve been here now for ten days, so I’ve had time to acclimatize to the fact that I’m at a great club, one of the most important in the world. Now it’s time to get going, with training, games, and we are charged and ready… Every player wants to be a part of Milan. I only realized that I could come here two days before I did, it was a rapid deal. Milanello is incredible, there is absolutely everything here and I’ve been pleasantly surprised how kind everyone is, it really is a huge family. I want to sign permanently and play my career here…”
He went on to praise Juventus for bringing him to Italy, but at the same time said that his preferred position would be the left wing or the attacking midfielder position. Milan would go in with a 4-3-1-2 formation, with the back four consisting of Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva and Zambrotta. Nesta is likely to come off later in the game as it is of utmost importance that he be fit for the Barcelona match on the 13th. Gattuso and Seedorf would reprise their role from last season, with Gattuso playing the role of breaking up play down the right midfield area and Seedorf, playing his usual playmaker role from the left side of the pitch.
Aquilani would replace Vam Bommel at the center of the midfield, but that would mean having to play a more balanced role. The defensive capabilities of Van Bommel would be replaced by the attacking instincts of Aquilani and it remains to be seen how he combines with both Seedorf and more importantly, Boateng. The trequartista role would be played by Boateng, who has really made that position his own after some scintillating performances last year and also in the pre-season. With Cassano breathing down his neck, Boateng knows that he would have to perform in order to play there. The top two would be Pato and Ibrahimovic, with the latter playing a more free role, moving up and about the left and center of the pitch.
Probable starting line-up: Abbiati (GK), Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta, Gattuso, Aquilani, Seedorf, Boateng, Pato, Ibrahimovic.
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Lazio
The new season presents a new set of challenges for Reja and his men. Lazio has made some important purchases in the last month to bolster the one area where they failed last season – the forward line. But Reja knows that with as many as seven strikers vying for the two spots, he would have to choose wisely. He is hoping that Cisse gels in quickly with the existing set-up as Reja plans to use him both as a wide winger and also as a striker.
With the other Italian clubs (read Inter, Juve and Roma) spending big on the market, the tussle for the third spot will heat up as the season wears on. Consistency would be the key for the men in white and blue if they harbor any hopes for European action next year. Knowing that Milan would be facing Lazio, Barcelona and Napoli – all within a span of nine days – Reja would look to start the new season with a bang by thwarting the Milan game plan.
Lazio is likely to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Radu, Dias, Biava and Konko forming the back four. Cristian Brocchi and Ledesma are expected to form a defensive shield, behind the trio of Cisse, Hernanes and Mauri. Cisse is likely to start as a wide winger, but may move to a striker role if Lazio decides to change their formation to 4-3-1-2. In that scenario, his chemistry with Klose would be tested. Klose was signed on a free transfer and will add valuable experience to the squad. The German is well-known for his headers; Hernanes and Mauri will look to provide as much aerial support to him as possible. Bizzarri would man the posts.
Probable starting line-up: Bizzarri (GK), Konko, Biava, Dias, Radu, Ledesma, Brocchi, Mauri, Hernanes, Cisse, Klose.
Key facts
- Last year, Ibrahimovic scored his first goal against Lazio at the Olympic stadium in Rome.
- This match would see two players playing against their former sides. Nesta was a Lazio player before 2002, whereas Brocchi was a Milan midfielder before he went to Lazio in 2008.
- Ambrosini would be playing in his 13th season with Milan, the first being 1999-2000.
TheHardTackle’s PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR
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Kevin Prince Boateng (Milan): With an impressive pre-season behind him, it seems that Boateng could hardly put a foot wrong. The winning volley in the SuperCoppa just goes to show how well he has adjusted to the Milan set-up after only a year spent at Milanello. This season is his chance to shine the brightest as he is in top form and more importantly, on top of his game.
TheHardTackle’s PREDICTION
Milan 2-0 Lazio
A strong Milan performance will not only silence the doubters but will also send across a strong warning to Barcelona. Milan would experiment a bit in the midfield specially, but that should not stop them from registering a victory in this match. If Silva and Nesta manage to keep the pair of Cisse and Klose quiet all night, Lazio would find it difficult to play in the final third.
TheHardTackle’s BLAST FROM THE PAST