Useless draw
Both teams could have won, but in the end, they had to settle for a draw which does not change their season much
Also on this day: March 20, 1983, Perugia Lazio 1-1. A last gasp goal from Vella gives Lazio a deserved draw. Lazio Hero of the day: Enrico Vella
The season so far
The previous campionato had seen Lazio arrive third and qualify for the Champions League playoff. It was a great year and Lazio played really well so there was hope that it could be repeated.
The summer transfer window however was not what the fans had hoped for. A few of the older players were let go, so Lazio said goodbye to Cristian Ledesma, Lorik Cana, Diego Novaretti and Michael Ciani plus the younger ones who had disappointed such as Pedro Cavanda and Brayan Perea. In came Wesley Hoedt, Riccardo Kishna, Patric and a young Serb, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The first game of the season was in August, the Super Coppa against Juventus, played in Shanghai. No contest and Lazio were beaten 2-0 on an appalling pitch. The Biancocelesti’s form was pretty terrible but the focus was on the Champions League playoff against Bayer Leverkusen.
In front of a packed Olimpico, Lazio played really well in the first leg and won 1-0. They could/should have scored more but some players were still a bit behind physically. The problem was that Miroslav Klose got injured in the first half and at that time Lazio did not have a centre forward who could replace him. The return match against Bayer Leverkusen was a defensive nightmare. Manager Stefano Pioli decided to “experiment” a 3-4-3 formation instead of the classic 4-4-2. As a consequence, Lazio lost 3-0 so they were relegated to Europa League.
Things went relatively well there and Lazio went through to the second round after winning their group against Dnipro, Saint Etienne and Rosenborg. The Biancocelesti were however eliminated in Coppa Italia. After beating Udinese, they lost to Juventus in the quarter-finals.
One could see immediately that Lazio were having problems and they were not playing as well as 2013-14. Narrow wins and big defeats (4-0 against Chievo, 5-0 against Napoli), players who were not performing as well as the previous year (Felipe Anderson for example) or other fundamental pieces that Lazio lost through injury (Stefan de Vrij) all led to a disappointing season so far. At the end of the first round of fixtures Lazio were 9th. They had lost the derby, at home to Milan and away against Juventus. The only positive result was an away win against Inter. Champions League qualification was 12 points away, Europa League four.
The beginning of the second half of the season followed in the footsteps of the first. To make matters worse was the incredible elimination from the Europa League. Lazio had played really well in Europe and after the group stage had to play against Galatasaray in February. 1-1 away and a comfortable 3-1 win at home. Next up was Sparta Prague. There was optimism after drawing the away leg 1-1. And then the debacle that nobody expected. Lazio lost 3-0 at home. A collapse.
The Biancocelesti were eighth, the last place for Europa League, held by Milan, was seven points away. Next game was against the Rossoneri and Lazio had not won in Milan since 1989.
The match: Sunday, March 20, 2016, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Lazio started the game really well and crushed Milan in their own half. In the seventh minute Marco Parolo had a chance but his shot was deflected into corner by Cristian Zapata. Lucas Biglia took it, cross into the box, Parolo jumped higher than anyone else and headed the ball in. Milan in difficulty and Antonio Candreva in 14th minute tried a shot that went wide.
A minute later, Milan equalised. Keisuke Honda to Luiz Adriano in the box. He was back to the goal and falling but he managed to pass to Carlos Bacca who, with a splendid right external shot, beat Federico Marchetti.
The Rossoneri tried to score again but were dangerous only in the 37th minute when Giacomo Bonaventura hit the crossbar on a free kick.
In the beginning of the second half, Alessio Romagnoli sent a long ball into the Lazio half, Edson Braafheid miskicked it, it was picked up by Bacca who tried a shot, Marchetti parried. In the 51st minute Bonaventura tried a shot from outside the area on the left but Marchetti saved into corner. Four minutes later Bacca went off on the right and passed a splendid ball to Honda who wasted the opportunity by kicking the ball into the stands.
Lazio in trouble but in the 67th minute they had a big chance. In a quick counter attack, Senad Lulic one-twoed with Alessandro Matri and passed a splendid ball to Felipe Anderson who entered the box and close to the goalkeeper tried a shot which Gigi Donnarumma miraculously saved into corner. Three minutes later, another spectacular save by Marchetti on a short range Bonaventura shot.
In the 84th minute Lulic got a second booking and left the game early. Just before the end, clear handball in the area by Zapata, ignored by the referee.
Useless draw for both teams.
Who played for Milan
Donnarumma, Abate, Zapata, Romagnoli, Antonelli, Honda (84' Menez), Montolivo, Bertolacci, Bonaventura, Luiz Adriano (74' Balotelli), Bacca.
Substitutes: Abbiati, Diego Lopez, De Sciglio, Alex, Mexes, Calabria, Poli, Locatelli, J. Mauri, Boateng.
Manager: Mihajlovic
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Patric, Bisevac, Hoedt, Braafheid, Biglia, Candreva (88’ Mauricio), Parolo, Lulic, Felipe Anderson, Matri (80’ Djordjevic)
Manager: Pioli
Referee: Tagliavento
Goals: 9’ Parolo, 15’ Bacca
What happened next
The inconsistency and bad form of some of the players came to a culmination with the 4-1 loss in the derby two weeks later. Lazio actually did not play too badly and were unlucky, hitting the woodwork twice when they were 2-1 down.
President Claudio Lotito decided that it was time for a change and sacked Pioli. Simone Inzaghi, former player of the 2000 scudetto, had already been helped considerably by Lazio in his career as a manager. The club really believed in his abilities and had given him various youth teams in order to gain experience. The time was ripe for the big jump and he took over.
A good start with two consecutive wins and a few tactical changes before a defeat in Turin against Juventus and one against Sampdoria where Lazio had a million chances to win.
Goodbye to Europe and goodbye to Miro Klose who made his last appearance for Lazio against Fiorentina in the last game of the season. Lazio had no intention of renewing his contract and it did not seem that he was interested in continuing.
The player with most appearances was Felipe Anderson (47) and top scorer was Candreva with 12 goals.
Lazio 2015-16
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 52 |
Coppa Italia | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 |
Champions League | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
Europa League | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 18 |
Super Coppa | 1 | - | - | 1 | - |
Total | 53 | 22 | 13 | 18 | 73 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League | Super Coppa |
Felipe Anderson | 47 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
Candreva | 44 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
Parolo | 40 | 31 | - | 2 | 7 | - |
Keita Balde | 39 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 5 | - |
Lulic | 39 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 6 | - |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
Candreva | 12 | 10 | - | 2 |
Felipe Anderson | 9 | 7 | - | 2 |
Klose | 8 | 7 | - | 1 |
Matri | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
Parolo | 6 | 3 | - | 3 |
Djordjevic | 6 | 3 | - | 3 |
Let's talk about Milan Bisevac
Milan Bisevac was born on August 31, 1983, in Kosovska Mitrovica in Northern Kosovo. He started playing professional football in 2001 for BASK Belgrade in the third division where he established himself in the starting eleven. In 2003 he signed for FK Bezanija and after half a season joined FK Zeleznik in the Serbian-Montenegro top tier.
In 2004 he was sold to Red Star Belgrade where he stayed for two and a half seasons with 59 league appearances and 3 goals. In his second season, he won the title and the national cup playing all the matches. In the summer of 2006 he signed for Lens in Ligue 1 but remained another six months in Serbia for family reasons. He stayed in the north of France for a season and a half, at the end of which Lens were relegated to Ligue 2. After 45 games with one goal, he moved to Valenciennes. He stayed there for three seasons totalling 103 league appearances and four goals. He was also captain.
In 2011 he signed for Paris Saint Germain. He began in the starting eleven but with the arrival of Diego Lugano lost his place. When Carlo Ancelotti arrived as new manager, he occasionally played as right back, not exactly his cup of tea. At the end of the season and after 21 appearances with one goal, he left for Olympique Lyons. He stayed there for three and a half seasons. In 2015 he suffered a serious injury which left him out for quite a while. When he recovered for the 2015-16 season, the manager Hubert Fournier did not take him into consideration and he made just 8 appearances. At this point he ended his contract by mutual consent and signed for Lazio.
The Biancocelesti had been going through a rough patch that season and had lost their star defender Stefan de Vrij due to injury almost immediately. They needed a replacement who could join the team without too much difficulty.
Bisevac stayed just six months in Rome and made 15 appearances with one goal. It was not a good season and manager Stefano Pioli was sacked. At the end of the season Bisevac and Lazio parted ways.
In 2016 he signed for Metz and stayed for two years. His last year of active football was with Dudelange in Luxembourg but he played just seven matches. In 2019 he signed for FC Swift Hesperange but never played for them in official games. He then played in the French amateur leagues with RS Magny and CSJ Augny.
At International level he was runner up with the Serbia and Montenegro national Under 21 team in the 2004 UEFA European Championship (beaten by Italy). He was also part of the squad that played in the 2004 Olympic Games. He won 19 caps for Serbia.
With Lazio he did not do too badly, but it was a poor season and perhaps he arrived a little bit past his prime.
Lazio Career
Season | Total apperances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
2015-16 | 15 (1) | 11 (1) | 1 | 3 |
Sources
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