Lazio show made in South America
Three South American goals for Lazio secured a win over a Genoa side in clear difficulty.
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The season so far
The previous season Lazio had not done well. They lost the Champions League preliminary round against Bayer Leverkusen and never quite got to grips with the disappointment. Manager Stefano Pioli, who had done so well in 2014-15, showed signs of confusion and was unable to stimulate the players. He was sacked with seven games to go and replaced by Simone Inzaghi, former star of the 2000 scudetto team and manager of the primavera. He did not do too badly in those seven games, but Lazio did not qualify for any European Cup.
President Claudio Lotito and sporting director Igli Tare then had the idea to sign Marcelo Bielsa as new manager. El Loco signed the contract and two days later resigned, citing differences with Tare and Lotito over the summer transfers as the reason. Apparently, rumour has it that once the news of him coaching Lazio started to spread, he got some calls from friends in Rome who were convincing enough to make him change his mind.
The Biancocelesti were without a coach and needed one quickly, so Simone Inzaghi, who was about to sign for Salernitana, was chosen.
The good news was that a new Lazio star was born: Ciro Immobile, who arrived from Sevilla in the summer, was scoring regularly and had become a fundamental asset. Also debuting in the first team was goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha who substituted an injured Federico Marchetti. Keita Balde was also having a very good season and scoring.
Other new entries included defenders Bastos (Rostov), Jordan Lukaku (Oostende), Wallace (Braga) and midfielder Luís Alberto (Liverpool). Leaving Lazio were Etrit Berisha (Atalanta - on loan), defenders Edson Braafheid (end of contract), Santiago Gentiletti (Genoa), Abdoulay Konko (end of contract), Mauricio (Spartak Moscow - on loan), midfielders Antonio Candreva (Inter), Ogenyi "Eddy" Onazi (Trabzonspor), Stefano Mauri (end of contract) and striker Miroslav Klose (retired).
So far 6 wins (two away from home), 3 draws and two defeats (against Milan and Juventus). There was a feeling that the team could do more but lacked belief in its own potential.
The match: Sunday, November 20, 2016, Rome, Stadio Olimpico
In recent years Genoa had often created difficulty for Lazio both at home and away, so the tifosi were optimistic but cautious in their hopes. The match opened up fairly early: a great Felipe Anderson volley from outside the penalty box in the 11th minute put Lazio in the lead. Genoa reacted and had a chance with Leonardo Pavoletti, but that was about it. Lazio’s wingers, Felipe Anderson on the right and Keita Balde on the left, created havoc and the Biancazzurri had a couple of chances in the first half to go two up but missed them.
The second half seemed to be going the same way as the first but then Lucas Ocampos cut through the Lazio midfield and defence and from just outside the box put the ball behind Strakosha with a precise shot, making it 1-1. It was only minute 52 and there still was plenty of time.
Five minutes later Felipe Anderson went past a few defenders, entered the penalty box and was fouled by Lucas Orban. Lucas Biglia took charge of the penalty and scored.
Shortly after Marco Parolo hit the post and the 3-1 looked on the cards any minute now. Wallace in the 65th minute took advantage of a loose ball to score his first goal for the club.
The match was virtually finished. Orban was sent off in the final stages of the match.
Who played for Lazio
Strakosha, Basta, Wallace, Radu, Lulic, Parolo, Biglia (84’ Murgia), Milinkovic-Savic (70’ Cataldi), Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Keita (73’ Patric)
Manager: Inzaghi
Who played for Genoa
Perin, Izzo, Burdisso, Orban, Edenilson, Rincon, Veloso, Laxalt, L. Rigoni (46' Ninkovic), Pavoletti (60' Simeone), Ocampos (80' Pandev)
Substitutes: Lamanna, Munoz, Gentiletti, Biraschi, Fiamozzi, Lazovic, Cofie, Ntcham, Gakpé
Manager: Juric
Referee: Di Bello
Goals: 11' Felipe Anderson, 52' Ocampos, 57' Biglia (pen), 65' Wallace
What happened next
Back in Europe was the objective for the 2016-17 season and back in Europe it would be, thanks to a good fifth place. It could have been fourth place but the team threw in the towel once European football was secured.
In Simone Inzaghi’s first full year as manager Lazio played well, with some very spectacular matches. He started with a 4-4-2 formation but during the course of the year moved to 3-5-2 and the sacrificial lamb was Felipe Anderson who had to change from being a winger with a right back behind him to having to take care of the entire wing by himself.
The team however tended to put in pretty dismal performances against the stronger teams. Lazio was good, with an amazing attack and a solid midfield. Perhaps a stronger belief in themselves could have brought more points.
Lazio managed to reach the final of the Coppa Italia but were beaten 2-0 by Juventus. A spectacular double derby against Roma in the semi-final gave Lazio a good chance to bring home a trophy but that was not to be.
Immobile was the leading scorer for Serie A with 23 goals, his second win, first with Lazio.
This was the last season with Lazio for Biglia and Keita. Both would not repeat the standards reached with Lazio in the following years.
Let’s talk about: Felipe Anderson
Felipe Anderson is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder.
Felipe Anderson Pereira Gomes is probably one of the most exciting players ever to have worn the Lazio jersey. At the same time he is also one of the most frustrating players ever to have worn the Lazio jersey. Enormously talented, with great potential, he is able to do some of the most incredible things on the pitch but also to switch off completely and be almost catatonic in the same game. However in recent years he has become a lot more reliable.
Born on April 15, 1993 in Santa Maria, he started playing football at the age of six. His youth career began with Santos in 2007 but he was soon promoted to the senior team and made his debut in 2010. In Santos he often played alongside Neymar.
Lazio bought him in 2013 but, despite the fact that one could see he had the skills and potential, in his first year he did not really make any significant impact. This did not change much in the following season either with the exception of a couple of matches.
The full talent of Felipe Anderson exploded in the 2014-2015 season under Stefano Pioli. Devastating to say the least, he was able to switch on and change the course of the game. The “devastating mode on” button started at Parma in December 2014 and he was decisive in the eight consecutive wins from February to April. He finished with nine goals as Lazio qualified for the Champions League playoff and were not too far off a second place which could have given a direct qualification.
The 2015-2016 was not as positive and Felipetto was able to show his talents sparsely. The 2016-2017 season saw a return to form and, though not as devastating as those matches in 2015, he put in solid performances. The problem came up when Simone Inzaghi changed the team to a 3-5-2 formation to allow Keita Balde to play closer to Immobile. Anderson was forced to go back and forth on the right wing and give a hand in defence. He did not do too badly, but one could see that it was not his cup of tea.
In the next season Keita was sold to Monaco and Felipe Anderson took his place next to Immobile, but a serious injury in pre-season training put him out of the squad. He was substituted by Luis Alberto, who became the ideal partner for Ciro. The Neapolitan started to score even more regularly than usual. Back from injury, Felipe Anderson struggled to find space as Luis Alberto had become fundamental for the team. A fallout with Inzaghi in Lazio-Bologna in February meant that 2017-2018 was to be his last season for Lazio.
Lazio sold him to West Ham United in the summer of 2018. His first year with The Hammers, under manager Manuel Pellegrini, was a good one, but the 2019-2020 season was not. Pellegrini was sacked in December and there was a lack of feeling with the new manager David Moyes. Felipetto ended up on the bench and asked for a transfer.
In October West Ham loaned him to Porto, but he hardly played at all. The Porto manager Sergio Conceicao did not particularly want him, and the two quarrelled and fell out.
In all his time away from Lazio, Felipe Anderson continued to show affection for the club via social media. Lazio fans always got a thumbs up from him at the shout of Forza Lazio, and many fans hoped one day he could return.
The opportunity arrived in the 2021-2022 season. Felipe Anderson came back, and back was also the magic as well as the fan frustration, though less than previous years. In the first year of his second stint he appeared in all of the games, he started in 42 of them and came on as a substitute in the other six. He did the same also in the 2022-23 season where he also played as centre-forward when Ciro Immobile was injured. He demonstrated strong reliability that season, a player one can always count upon. His performances were not so good in 2023-24 but he still gave a decent contribution of goals and assists.
Maurizio Sarri stated that Felipe Anderson “is an extraordinary player, when he plays at 100% he can be really something. But he has his down moments. It’s up to me to limit the down moments to a minimum”. And he has certainly done so.
At the end of the 2023-24 season, he decided not to renew his contract and signed for Palmeiras. He said to the fans on his last match I want to thank you because from day one you welcomed me, not only as a footballer but first as a boy and now as a man. I thank you because you have given me much more than what football could give me. Always Forza Lazio”.
He leaves after 326 appearances, 149 of these consecutive. He is 11th in the all time games for Lazio, behind Vincenzo D’Amico and above Cristian Ledesma.
Felipe Anderson has two caps for Brazil (both as substitute), and has played quite a lot of games for the Olympic Team. He was part of the squad that won the Gold Medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games of 2016.
Lazio Career
Season | Total played (Goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League | Conference League | Super Coppa |
2013-14 | 20 (1) | 13 | 2 | - | 5 (1) | - | - |
2014-15 | 37 (11) | 32 (10) | 5 (1) | - | - | - | - |
2015-16 | 47 (9) | 35 (7) | 2 | 2 | 7 (2) | - | 1 |
2016-17 | 41 (5) | 36 (4) | 5 (1) | - | - | - | - |
2017-18 | 32 (8) | 21 (4) | 4 (1) | - | 7 (3) | - | - |
2021-22 | 48 (7) | 38 (6) | 2 | - | 8 (1) | - | - |
2022-23 | 50 (12) | 38 (10) | 2 | - | 6 (1) | 4 (1) | |
2023-24 | 51 (5) | 38 (5) | 4 | 8 | - | - | 1 |
Totals | 326 (58) | 251 (46) | 26 (3) | 10 | 33 (8) | 4 (1) | 2 |
Sources
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