Lazio edge Como and leave relegation zone
Inspired performances by Laudrup and Manfredonia help Lazio clinch crucial win
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had narrowly escaped relegation. It took a 2-2 away draw at Pisa in the last fixture to avoid Giorgio Chinaglia's first year as president ending in disaster.
This season Chinaglia had planned to sell stars Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia and rebuild the team. For various reasons however the deals fell through including players refusal to come to Lazio and disagreements over salaries at Juventus.
Chinaglia's American financial partners never materialised either so Lazio were in difficulty.
A few players were signed but they were not all that great: forward Oliviero Garlini (Cesena), defenders Massimo Storgato (Verona) and Arturo Vianello (Pisa) and midfielder Fortunato Torrisi (Catania). Defender Ernesto Calisti had returned from his loan to Cavese.
Leaving Lazio were Angelo Cupini (Bari), Mauro Meluso (Cremonese), Mario Piga (Palermo), Rinaldo Piraccini (Pistoiese) and Massimo Piscedda (Taranto - on loan).
Lazio started the season with Paolo Carosi as manager (he had taken over from Juan Carlos Morrone halfway through the previous season).
Lazio's first games were in August in the Coppa Italia. Lazio had not done too badly and with a game to go were almost through to the second stage. The last game was against Roma. A point each would have meant that they would both go through. But a ridiculous penalty awarded to Roma and an Antonio Di Carlo goal gave Roma the win. Lazio could still have got to the round of 16 anyway on goal difference. Genoa had to beat Pistoiese 5-0 to overtake Lazio and unfortunately this is exactly what happened with three goals in the last 8 minutes. The Biancocelesti were out and Chinaglia was furious.
The beginning of the league did not improve "Long John's" mood. Lazio lost their first two games (Fiorentina 0-1 at home and Udinese 0-5 away). At this point Chinaglia made a controversial decision, he sacked Carosi and brought in Juan Carlos Lorenzo. The Argentine had coached Lazio in the early 1960's and again from 1968-71, winning two promotions to Serie A but was now considered past it and there were even doubts over his mental well-being.
The fact is "Toto" took over and had not done too badly. A 1-1 home draw to Inter, 0-0 at Ascoli, 1-1 at home to Napoli, a 0-1 defeat away at Torino, a 2-1 home win against Cremonese, a point in a 0-0 derby and finally a recent 0-1 away defeat to Atalanta.
Lazio were currently 14th on 6 points, in the last relegation slot but only one point behind Napoli and Udinese. Lazio desperately needed a win today.
Como were newly promoted. The Lariani had finished 2nd in Serie B under manager Tarcisio Burgnich. Top scorer was Mauro Gibellini with 10 league goals.
This year the manager was Ottavio Bianchi. The Comaschi had bought some new players to compete at a higher level: defenders Giovanni Guerrini (Sampdoria), Claudio Ottoni (Perugia), midfielders Renzo Gobbo (Catanzaro - back from loan), Giovanni Invernizzi (Reggiana - back from loan), Hansi Müller (Inter), forwards Dan Corneliusson (Stuttgart) and in October Moreno Morbiducci (Perugia).
Leaving were defenders Stefano Maccoppi (Sambenedettese - on loan), Moreno Mannini (Sampdoria), midfielder Claudio Sclosa (Torino) plus forwards Stefano Borgonovo (Sambenedettese - on loan) and Mauro Gibellini (Perugia).
The Biancoblu too had started their season in the Coppa Italia in August but were eliminated. They won 2 (Triestina 3-0 at home and Brescia 2-0 away), drew 1 (Milan 1-1 away) and lost 2 (Carrarese 0-2 away and Parma 0-1 at home).
Things were going better in Serie A. The Lariani had won 3, drawn 3 (including Juventus at home and Roma away) and lost 3. They were currently joint 6th on 9 points with Fiorentina, Avellino, Roma and Atalanta.
It was only late November but this already felt like a crucial relegation clash.
The match: Sunday, November 24, 1984, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A sunny and mild November day attracted about 50,000 spectators for this important game.
The visitors started cautiously and Lazio took advantage to attack. In the first five minutes Bruno Giordano set up Michael Laudrup but the Dane's goal was disallowed for a millimetric offside and then a Lionello Manfredonia low left-footed effort shaved the post.
In the 6th minute Lazio went in front. From a Vincenzo D'Amico corner Arturo Vianello out jumped the defenders and headed past Giuliano Giuliani. Lazio 1 Como 0.
Lazio continued to dominate after the goal and could easily have doubled their lead. D'Amico glided past three defenders but was denied by Giuliani and Laudrup had a shot go agonisingly close to the crossbar.
Then out of the blue Como equalised. On a seemingly harmless cross by Enrico Todesco, with the Lazio defenders well placed to control Moreno Morbiducci, Joāo Batista turned the ball into his own net. Lazio 1 Como 1.
Lazio were then denied a blatant penalty for a foul on Bruno Giordano but were then awarded a less clear one in the 38th minute for a Claudio Ottoni foul on Laudrup. Giordano stepped up and blasted a central shot onto the crossbar, it came down, came off the keeper's back and went in. Lazio 2 Como 1.
There would later be disputes over the paternity of the goal. Giordano would have liked to be given it but it officially went down as a Giuliani own goal. Halftime Lazio 2-1 up. A deserved lead so far.
For the second half Ottavio Bianchi reshuffled his team slightly. He brought on Giovanni Invernizzi for Antonio Favaro and moved Giancarlo Centi to mark Manfredonia.
It seemed to work as Como grew into the game. Luca Fusi and Giovanni Matteoli took control of the midfield and it took several Fernando Orsi saves on Gobbi, Fusi, Todesco and Bruno to deny the visitors an equaliser.
Lazio were in difficulty despite a Giordano chance in the 67th minute when his low volley from a high cross was blocked by Giuliani. In the 69th minute Lazio took off a midfielder Fortunato Torrisi and put on a defender Massimo Storgato. Como had already replaced Massimo Albiero with Pasquale Bruno on the hour mark.
Como continued to push forward but in the 76th minute it seemed as if Lazio had closed it. Giordano put a brilliant low pass forward to Laudrup who shrugged off a defender, skilfully sidestepped around the keeper and slotted the ball in. Lazio 3 Como 1. A quality goal by a player with a great future ahead of him.
With the game apparently under control Lazio then replaced striker Giordano with midfielder Francesco Dell'Anno.
Como however did not give up and in the 86th minute pulled a goal back with a long-range effort by Centi.
Four tense minutes plus injury time remained but fortunately Como had little more to give and Lazio saw out the last few minutes without running any serious risks. Final score Lazio 3 Como 2.
An important win for Lazio who moved out of the bottom three. They would have to improve however to win more matches. The Biancocelesti had several top-class players but were not a well-oiled team yet. Como on the other hand had mainly average and a few good players (Matteoli, Fusi and Invernizzi had impressed) but were well organised, compact and played as a team. After a difficult first half they had improved and could be optimistic on their chances of survival.
For today Lazio took the points and looked with less pessimism to the next fixture, away to Sampdoria.
Who played for Lazio
Orsi, Calisti, Vianello, Filisetti, Batista, Podavini, D'Amico, Torrisi (69' Storgato), Giordano (76' Dell'Anno), Laudrup, Manfredonia
Substitutes: Cacciatori, Marini, Garlini
Manager: Lorenzo
Who played for Como
Giuliani, Favaro (46' Invernizzi), Ottoni, Centi, Guerrini, Albiero (60' Bruno), Todesco, Gobbo, Morbiducci, Matteoli, Fusi
Substitutes: Della Corna, Annoni, Butti
Manager: Bianchi
Referee: Pairetto
Goals: 6' Vianello, 28' Batista (og), 38' Giuliani (og), 76' Laudrup, 86' Centi
What happened next
Lazio went on to have a disastrous season. The Biancocelesti then drew 2-2 away at Sampdoria after being 0-2 down but then lost the next seven consecutive games and did not win another game all season. In early March Lorenzo was sacked and replaced by Giancarlo Oddi and Roberto Lovati but it was far too late. Considering the stories about Lorenzo (including training catching chickens and drastic last minute weight losses by markers to match those of their opponents) it was surprising it did not occur earlier. Lazio managed to draw the derby 1-1 but the season was a write off and Lazio finished 15th on only 15 points, ten from safety. Top scorer was Giordano with 8 goals (5 in A). A season to forget.
Como on the other hand stayed up. The Azzurri finished 11th. In the remaining games they won 3 (including Lazio 1-0 at home and Milan 2-1 away), drew 10 and lost 7. Top scorer was Morbiducci with 3 league goals. Como only scored 17 all season but only conceded 27 (compared to Lazio's 45).
Fusi (Sampdoria, Napoli, Torino, Juventus), Invernizzi (Sampdoria) and Matteoli (Inter) would all go on to have good careers, winning league titles and cups.
The Scudetto was won by Verona for their first historic Scudetto. A great team led by Osvaldo Bagnoli and including players such as Roberto Tricella, Hans-Peter Briegel, Antonio Di Gennaro, Pietro Fanna and Preben Elkjær Larsen.
Lazio went down with Ascoli and Cremonese. Lazio would not see Serie A again until 1988-89.
Let's talk about Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup was born in Frederiksberg, Denmark, on June 15, 1964.
He began playing football in the Vanløse, Brøndby and KB youth sectors. His first professional club was KB in 1981 where his father was manager. He played 14 games with 3 goals for the Copenhagen club in the first division. In 1982 he went back to Brøndby where he started to make a name for himself, playing 38 games and scoring 24 goals in the top league. He was voted player of the year in Denmark.
In 1983 he was bought by Italian giants Juventus but was considered too young and inexperienced so, also because the two foreign slots were already taken by Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek, he was loaned to Lazio for two years.
Lazio were newly promoted and "Long John" Chinaglia, the 1974 Scudetto hero, was back as President. He promised wealthy investors and a bright future but the reality turned out differently. The partners never materialized and money was scarce. At first it was even made out that Laudrup was owned by Lazio but the truth later emerged that he was merely being temporarily "parked" in Rome.
Anyway, the season was a difficult one but "Michelino " shone. He scored a brace on his debut in a 4-2 defeat at Verona and then a goal on his home debut in a 3-0 win over Inter. He was still somewhat timid especially when the Italian defenders got tough but it was clear he would go on to a top-level career. His superior class was already evident. In his first year he played 30 league games and scored 8 goals (Verona 2, Inter, Catania, Juventus, Fiorentina, Napoli 2) plus 5 games in Coppa Italia. Lazio managed to avoid relegation in the last match with a 2-2 draw at Pisa.
His second year in Rome was a disaster for Lazio but Laudrup was one of the few positive notes. He played 30 league games even if with only 1 goal (Como) and 5 in Coppa Italia with 3 goals (Padova, Pistoiese, Varese). It wasn't an easy season for the young Dane with three different managers (Carosi, Lorenzo and finally Lovati/Oddi). Chinaglia was in financial difficulty and the results on the pitch were even worse. Lazio were relegated and for Laudrup it was time to become a top European player.
In 1985 he returned to Juventus who in the meantime had offloaded Boniek to Roma. In Turin he played under Giovanni Trapattoni and won the Scudetto in his first season. He played 29 league games with 7 goals, 6 in Coppa Italia with 2 goals, 5 in the European Cup with 1 goal and also played the Intercontinental Cup Final against Argentinos Juniors with 1 goal in a 2-2 draw contributing to Juve's triumph on penalties.
He stayed in Turin four seasons playing 103 league games and scoring 16 goals, while in total he played 152 games with 36 goals. He struggled with some injuries and in 1989 at the end of his contract he left the Bianconeri.
In the summer of 1989, he joined Johan Cruyff's Barcelona. He was part of the "Dream Team" which included Hristo Stoichkov, Ronald Koeman, Pep Guardiola and Romario and won four consecutive Liga titles. He also won a Copa del Rey, 2 Spanish Super Cups (91' ,92'), a UEFA Super Cup and in 1992 at Wembley won the biggest prize of all, the last European Cup, beating Sampdoria 1-0 in extra time. He stayed five seasons with Barça and played a total of 217 matches with 55 goals. In the last period of his Catalunya adventure however he got less playing time and so he made a controversial career choice and left the Blaugrana, but not for any old team...
In the summer of 1994, he joined bitter rivals Real Madrid. This was a huge blow to Barcelona and in fact the Merengues won the Liga ending Barcelona's dominance, including a 5-0 win in the "clásico". The second season was not so successful. He played a total of 76 games for the "Blancos" and scored 15 goals. Despite only playing two seasons in Madrid, in 2002 he was voted 12th best player in Real Madrid history on an internet survey by Spanish newspaper Marca. Laudrup is one of the few players who is loved by both "Blaugrana" and "Blancos" fans.
In 1996 he left Spain for Japan and signed for Vissel Kobe. He helped them win promotion to the J1 League, playing 15 games with 5 goals.
In 1997, after a brief and controversial signing for Bosnian Čelik Zenica, where he never played, he joined Ajax Amsterdam. He stayed one season playing 21 games with 11 goals helping "de Godenzonen" (Sons of Gods) to win the league.
He retired at 34 although he did sometimes turn out for the Lyngby's Old Boys team.
At international level he won 104 caps for Denmark with 37 goals. Unlike his brother Brian however he was not part of the Danish team which shocked the world winning the European Championship in 1992. He did win the Confederations Cup in 1995. He has been voted Best Danish Player in history.
He then became a manager. His first job was as assistant coach of the national team under Morten Olsen. He then went back to Brøndby as manager. In four seasons he won a Danish Supercup (2002), 2 Danish Cups (2003, 2004), a Danish League Cup (2005) and a Danish Superliga (2005).
In 2006 he returned to Spain and had a season at Getafe. The "Azulones" (Deep Blue Ones) reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup and played exciting football but in May Laudrup resigned.
In 2008 he took on the Spartak Moscow job but was sacked in April.
In 2009 he almost joined Atletico Madrid but it fell through and in 2010 he signed for Mallorca. The "Piratas" (The Pirates) were in financial difficulty but Laudrup kept them in the Liga. He then left after disagreements with the owners.
In 2012 he signed for Swansea in the Premier League. In 2013 he led the Swans to their first ever major cup final when by defeating Chelsea they reached the League Cup Final which they then won beating Bradford City 5-0 at Wembley. He had a good spell in South-Wales but was eventually sacked in February 2014 after a poor run of form.
Since then, he has managed in Qatar for Lekhwiya for one year winning the league (2014-15) and then Al-Rayyan (2016-18) finishing 3rd twice.
Michael Laudrup was a fantastic player, one of the best of his generation. He was immensely talented and creative. He was an offensive midfielder but was extremely versatile and could play as playmaker, right or left winger, number 10 or second striker. He was an intelligent player which, put together with his technique, made him great to watch. So, he was skilful and imaginative but was also a hard fighting player and a strong tackler. He could shoot with both feet and had amazing dribbling skills even with very little space (he was one of the first to carry out the "croqueta" - a high speed dribbling movement). He had great acceleration too so could either dribble or just glide past defenders. He was a clean and fair player; in fact, he was never sent off in his whole career. In his homeland he was named "The Prince of Denmark" for his character and attitude.
On a personal note, I had the fortune to often watch the great Barcelona teams of 1990-92 at the Nou Camp. It was a fantastic team with the already mentioned Stoichkov, Koeman, Guardiola but also Andoni Zubizarreta, Aitor Begiristain, Jon Andoni Goikoetxea, José Mari Bakero and Guillermo Amor among others. Laudrup was one of the shining stars of that team. I also sometimes went to watch Espanyol at Italians beloved, but now defunct, Sarriá stadium (that of Italy-Brazil 3-2 in España '82 World Cup).
At Lazio Laudrup left only positive memories. They were difficult times for the club but even at 19 it was clear "Michelino" or "Il Danesino" would go on to have an illustrious career, which he certainly did.
Lazio career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1983-84 | 35 (8) | 30 (8) | 5 |
1984-85 | 35 (4) | 30 (1) | 5 (3) |
Total | 70 (12) | 60 (9) | 10 (3) |
Sources
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