Underwhelming but clinical Lazio snatch important points
A lucky own goal and a rare Fernando Couto strike give Lazio flattering 2-0 win
Also on this day: October 13, 1974: Vicenza Lazio 1-2. Second win of the season as Lazio win in Vicenza for the third year running. Lazio Hero of the day: Franco Nanni
The season so far
The previous season had seen title winning Sven-Goran Eriksson leaving the club and the return of Dino Zoff. Lazio had fought for the title but eventually just lost out to city rivals Roma. A 3rd place finish did however give them a Champions League participation.
Lazio's main investments this year were defender Jaap Stam (Manchester United) and midfielder Gaizka Mendieta (Valencia). Mendieta in particular was considered a major swoop after his performances in the Champions League for Valencia. In had also come midfielders Giuliano Giannichedda and Stefano Fiore (both from Udinese), Fabio Liverani (Perugia), Brazilian César (São Caetano), Ivan de la Peña (back from loan periods after a disappointing time at Lazio two years earlier) and Serb forward Darko Kovacevic (Juventus).
Lazio had however lost scudetto legends Pavel Nedved (Juventus), the 'Matador' Marcelo Salas (Juventus) and Juan Sebastian Veron (Manchester United) plus Fabrizio Ravanelli (Derby County) and Roberto Baronio (Fiorentina).
The season had started with three lacklustre draws which led the club to substitute manager Dino Zoff with Alberto Zaccheroni. Since then, the Biancocelesti had not really improved and had drawn one (Parma 0-0 at home) and lost one (Milan 0-2 away), their other game away to Chievo had been postponed due to an icy pitch. So, Lazio were on a meagre four points after five games.
Today Lazio desperately needed a win to kick start their so far disappointing season.
Atalanta had finished a positive 7th the previous season as a newly promoted team. The manager was former player Giovanni Vavassori and the Nerazzurri had won 10 (including Juventus), drawn 14 (Lazio twice) and lost 10. Top scorer was Nicola Ventola with 11 goals (10 in A).
This season Vavassori was still in charge but the Dea had seen a few players leave: keeper Ivan Pelizzoli (Roma), midfielders Massimo Donati and Cristian Zenoni (both to Milan) and Paolo Foglio (Chievo-on loan). Others had finished their contracts, defender Sebastiano Siviglia plus forwards Maurizio Ganz and Marco Nappi while midfielder Domenico Morfeo and forward Nicola Ventola had terminated their loan periods.
To make up for all these departures the Orobici had brought in keepers Massimo Taibi (Reggina) and Alex Calderoni (Monza), defenders Alessandro Rinaldi (Roma) and Luigi Sala (Milan), midfielders Ousmane Dabo (Parma 50/50) and Pierluigi Orlandini (Milan-on loan) plus forwards Gianni Comandini (Milan- most expensive buy ever at 30 billion Lire) and Luca Saudati (Milan).
In the squad were three future Lazio players: Dabo, Rolando Bianchi and Luciano Zauri.
So far, the Nerazzurri had won 1 (Verona 1-0), drawn 2 (Brescia 3-3 away and Milan 1-1 at home) and lost 3 (Bologna 0-1 away, Fiorentina 1-3 away and Juventus 0-2 at home). The Bergamaschi had 5 points after six games, just one more than Lazio, who however had a game in hand.
Two teams struggling to find form made today's game important but uncertain in its outcome.
The match: Saturday, October 13, 2001, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A 40,000 crowd at the Olimpico despite Lazio's difficulties.
Lazio were still without Alessandro Nesta and Hernan Crespo.
Atalanta started well and put pressure on Lazio. They had two penalty appeals waved away by the referee and generally attacked more, Angelo Peruzzi saving low with his feet on Cristiano Doni. Lazio had a Stefano Fiore shot and a Claudio Lopez effort and header go wide. In the 31st minute Luca Saudati hit the post with a powerful shot, the ball then hit Peruzzi's head and went out for a corner. In the 42nd minute another stroke of luck helped the Biancocelesti. On a Lopez shot from outside the area the ball was deflected by Paganin's backside and changed direction, giving Massimo Taibi no chance. Lazio 1 Atalanta 0. A slightly flattering scoreline for Lazio who had not done much to deserve the lead.
For the second half there were no changes. The Orobici also continued to have superior territorial and ball possession.
In the 65th minute Karel Poborsky replaced Stefano Fiore and in the 68th, for Atalanta, Dabo and Fausto Rossini came on for Rinaldi and Saudati.
In the 71st minute on a rare attacking excursion Lazio scored again. Lopez was free down the left wing and put in a low cross which Fernando Couto lunged into in front of goal and made it two. Lazio 2 Atalanta 0. A clinical Lazio now well in control.
In the 75th minute Corrado Colombo took a subdued Gianni Comandini's place. A minute later the replacement almost immediately pulled one back for the Dea. A long ball into the area was headed back across goal to Colombo but his header came back off the crossbar. It was not looking like Atalanta's day.
Lazio made two more substitutions, Darko Kovacevic for Simone Inzaghi in the 78th and Paolo Negro, back from injury, for Giuseppe Pancaro in the 80th.
Atalanta had another dangerous header saved into corner by Peruzzi and then, having had their chances and not scoring, Atalanta slowly faded, despite still attacking until the end. Final score Lazio 2 Atalanta 0.
By far a vintage performance by Lazio but a morale boosting three points. Star signing Gaizka Mendieta had been disappointing again but luckily Fabio Liverani and Giuliano Giannichedda had played well. Lazio would have to play better to get anything out of the season as they would not always have today's dose of luck on their side.
Who played for Lazio
Peruzzi, F. Couto, Stam, Favalli, Mendieta, Giannichedda, Liverani, Pancaro (80' Negro), Fiore (65' Poborsky), C. Lopez, Kovacevic (78' S. Inzaghi)
Substitutes: Marchegiani, D. Baggio, De La Peña, Stankovic
Manager: Zaccheroni
Who played for Atalanta
Taibi, Paganin, Sala, Carrera, Rinaldi (68' Dabo), Zenoni, Berretta, Doni, Zauri, Saudati (68' Rossini), Comandini (75' Colombo)
Substitutes: Pinato, Rustico, Natali, Orlandini
Manager: Vavassori
Referee: Bertini
Goals: 42' C. Lopez, 71' F. Couto
What happened next
Lazio then drew 0-0 away at Venezia and lost the derby before picking up and winning the next five consecutive matches (including Juventus 1-0). It was a false dawn however and Lazio had a disappointing season finishing 6th. Lazio won 14, drew 11 and lost 9 (including both derbies).
They did end with a controversial victory over Inter on the now famous May 5th. This last game saw Inter needing a win to be sure of the scudetto. There was also the chance of Roma stealing the championship had Inter and Juve failed to win and Roma done so. There was therefore a lot of talk of Lazio throwing the game to avoid the “unmentionables” glory. Many Lazio fans were initially blatantly supporting Inter but the risk was soon out of the question with Juve taking an early double lead away at Udinese. Inter still had their fate in their own hands but inexplicably collapsed at the Olimpico against opposition who didn't exactly play as if their life depended on it. Inter may have assumed it was a done deal but Karel Poborsky's lack of understanding of the city rivalry dynamics, and hence fierce determination, together with Inter's lacklustre performance, produced one of the few championship-deciding last match of the season shock results in recent history. Another one obviously being Juventus getting washed away in Perugia two years earlier, handing the scudetto to Lazio in an even more dramatic fashion.
Lazio at least salvaged a UEFA Cup qualification. In the Champions League things did not go any better, if anything worse. Lazio got through the preliminary round under Zoff (F.C Copenhagen 4-2 on aggregate but then were knocked out in the group phase with Galatasaray (0-1, 1-0), Nantes (1-3, 0-1) and PSV Eindhoven (0-1, 2-1). So, 2 wins and 4 defeats, the first two defeats were with Zoff but, as in the league, Zaccheroni did not manage to change things.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio were eliminated in the quarters by Milan 3-5 on aggregate.
Lazio's top scorer was Hernan Crespo with 20 goals (13 in A).
Fortunately, Roberto Mancini was already on his way back to Lazio.
Atalanta hit rock bottom a week later losing 1-5 at home to Udinese but then started to improve. Between that humiliating defeat and November 25, Atalanta won 5, drew 1 and lost 1. The Bergamaschi ended up 9th with 12 wins (including Inter 2-1 away), 9 draws and 13 defeats (including Lazio 0-1).
In the Coppa Italia the Nerazzurri reached the quarterfinals but were beaten by Juventus 4-5 on aggregate. Top scorer was Cristiano Doni with 16 league goals.
Lazio 2001-02
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 50 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Champions League | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
Total | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 65 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League |
Fiore | 40 | 30 | 20 | 8 |
Lopez | 38 | 29 | 1 | 8 |
37 | 27 | 2 | 8 | |
Stankovic | 36 | 27 | 4 | 5 |
Couto | 35 | 29 | 2 | 4 |
Giannichedda | 35 | 28 | 3 | 4 |
Top Five Goal Scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League |
20 | 13 | 4 | 3 | |
Lopez | 12 | 10 | - | 2 |
Stankovic | 8 | z7 | - | 1 |
S. Inzaghi | 6 | 5 | 1 | - |
Fiore | 5 | 3 | - | 2 |
Let's talk about Giuliano Giannichedda
Giuliano Giannichedda was born in Pontecorvo (Frosinone), on September 21, 1974.
He began kicking a ball with his local side Sporting Pontecorvo and then in 1992 moved to nearby Sora in C2. He played for the Bianconeri for three seasons winning a promotion to C1 in 1994. He played 64 league games with 2 goals.
In 1995 he joined Udinese in Serie A. The first year, under Alberto Zaccheroni, he only played 8 league games but then started to play regularly. Over the next five years (two more with Zaccheroni, one with Francesco Guidolin, one with Luigi De Canio and the last De Canio/Luciano Spalletti) he played 180 games (151 A, 15 in Coppa Italia and 21 in Europe). The "Zebrette" finished 11th, 5th (UC), 3rd (UC), 6th (UC), 8th and 12th. In 2001 they reached the semi-final of the Coppa Italia but lost to Parma on away goals. In Friuli, at various points, he played alongside Lazio connections Giovanni Stroppa, Raffaele Sergio, Stefano Fiore, Roberto Muzzi and Giampiero Pinzi.
In 2001-2002 he joined Lazio, where after Zoff's sacking he was soon reunited with Zaccheroni. The first season was poor with a 6th place and disappointing Champions League campaign. Giannichedda played 28 league games, 3 in Coppa Italia and 4 in CL.
The following year Roberto Mancini returned as manager. Lazio finished 4th (CL qualification) and reached the semi-finals of both the UEFA Cup (Porto 1-4) and the Coppa Italia (Roma 1-3). Giannichedda played 25 league games, 3 in Coppa Italia and 6 in Champions League.
In 2003-04 Mancini stayed on and Lazio finished 6th. In this uncertain post -Cragnotti period and in the middle of financial problems, Lazio managed to win a trophy, the Coppa Italia. After defeating Modena, Parma and Milan, the Biancocelesti triumphed 4-2 on aggregate against Juventus in the final. In the Champions League the Aquile went out in the first stage with only one win in a group with Chelsea, Sparta Prague and Beşiktaş. Giannichedda played 22 league games with 1 goal (winner against Perugia away), 6 in Coppa Italia and 4 in CL.
In 2004-05 Lazio had a new owner, Claudio Lotito. The club had to take on strict austerity measures to pay off its heavy debts. Many of the star players left and it was a difficult season. Lazio started off with former player Domenico Caso as manager but he was replaced in January by Giuseppe Papadopulo. Lazio survived in the end finishing 13th. Giannichedda played 32 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia, 3 in the UEFA Cup and 1 in the Italian Supercoppa (lost 0-3 to Milan). The highlight of the season was beating Roma 3-1 on Papadopulo's debut. Giannichedda was brilliant playing in the centre of defence alongside Talamonti, due to injuries and suspensions. He played an epic game dominating the battles with Totti and company.
In 2005-06 Giannichedda joined Juventus. The Bianconeri, coached by Fabio Capello, won the league but subsequently due to the Calciopoli scandal were stripped of their title and relegated to Serie B. Giannichedda had played 15 league games, 3 in Coppa Italia and 5 in the Champions League.
He stayed on in the second tier under Didier Deschamps (then Giancarlo Corradini for the last two matches). The "Madama" won promotion winning the league and Giannichedda played 20 league games and 3 in Coppa Italia. In his two years in Turin, he played with Pavel Nedved.
In 2007-08 he joined Livorno in Serie A. The coaches were former Lazio, Fernando Orsi, Giancarlo Camolese and then Orsi again. The Amaranto were relegated after only managing 6 league wins all season. In Leghorn he played with former Lazio teammates Antonio and Emanuele Filippini plus former Lazio, Alessandro Grandoni. Giannichedda played little due to injuries, only 8 league games.
At almost 34 he retired.
Giannichedda won 3 full Italy caps, in 1999, in two Euro 2000 qualifiers (Bielorussia and Denmark) and a friendly (Croatia).
Since retiring he has had some experiences as a coach. In 2013 he started as assistant to Alberigo Evani with Italy U20's and then assistant first to Bruno Tedino and then Alessandro Dal Canto with the U17's (2014-16). He then spent a year as manager of Racing Roma in Lega Pro but was replaced after 32 games and the Gialloverdi were relegated. In 2018 he had spells at Viterbese Castrense and Pro Piacenza in Serie C. In 2019 he had a stint at Aprilia in Serie D and then took charge of the Italy LND (National Amateur League) U18's and from 2019 the U19's. He still currently holds this position.
Giannichedda was a central defensive midfielder. He is 1.79 and 77 kilos. He was a classic ball winning midfielder. A non- stop dynamo tackling anything that moved. He was extremely hardworking and versatile. He played 282 games in Serie A, 20 in B, 31 in C1, 33 in C2, 34 in Coppa Italia, 43 in Europe and an Italian Supercoppa final with 5 total goals.
At Lazio he had four good seasons. He arrived at the end of the Cragnotti glory days but managed to win a trophy (CI 2004). He was a popular player for his work rate, always putting in a good shift. His performance in the 3-1 derby victory on January 6, 2005, was epic. He adapted his position and played in the centre of defence putting on a perfect performance, limiting Totti and Cassano. For this and more he will always be considered a Laziale.
Lazio Career
Season | Total Games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | UEFA Cup | Super Coppa |
2001-02 | 35 | 28 | 3 | 4 | - | - |
2002-03 | 34 | 25 | 3 | - | 6 | - |
2003-04 | 32 (1) | 22 (1) | 6 | 4 | - | - |
2004-05 | 37 | 32 | 1 | - | 3 | 1 |
Total | 138 | 107 (1) | 13 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
Sources
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