Lazio-Cagliari

By: Jeremy | October 27th, 2009

If there are two teams that are more similar then these two, I would like to see them. The teams meet on Wednesday in Rome in basically identical disappointing positions in the standings while also facing a lot of upset fans who feel the teams should be higher up the standings.

While Lazio has higher expectations then Cagliari, they may not be any more talented then we are and they will have to turn some of these draws into wins if they are going satisfy the rabid ultras. The maybe unrealistic expectations do not stop their fans from protesting outside the practice facility when things arent going well and pundits must be wondering how long before Ballardini gets let go after his questionable switch from a Palermo side that seemed to have a load of potential to what he thought was the more stable job. The poor guy has really been on the coaching roller coaster and you have to feel for him as what seemed like a safe decision has now turned into a mainland version of Cagliari and Palermo. Atleast it seems like he has the support of management which is not something coaches enjoy for long in the islands. I am sure Cellino and Zamparini are laughing a bit at Lazios struggles.

But is Lazio really in crisis? They have faced a tough schedule so far and have managed to earn draws witht the likes of Samp, Palermo, and Fiorentina, teams they expect to fight with to get to European spots. Their problem has been losing points to teams they really need to beat. That being said, they are only 5 points out of a great position and a couple of wins will turn it around quickly. Its simply too early to tell what will happen and their fans need to back off or they will continue to play tight ala Atletico Madrid and give away points to teams they should beat.

Cagliari is very similar to Lazio in that they have the same number of points and have played some teams tough, yet have given away points to bottom teams like Catania and Siena where results that most would have expected to have gone the other way would put our team in a european spot in the standings. Either way we are where we are and it is a little disappointing. Even the five readers of this blog had to shake their head when I start hinting at Allegris exit if he does not start using his players correctly.

Allegri made changes for the game against Genoa which included Nene starting for the first time. Needless to say the offense showed more confidence and he even put away a PK. The jury is still out on what he will do but we need to find out as Matri and Larrivey are not the answer to replace Acquafresca. If Nene starts again in Rome, it may be that Allegri gets it. If he is benched because its a midweek after a weekend game, it is just another indication that Allegri is still trying to fiddle with his lineup.

With a slew of talent in the midfield and a reminder of how the team went to Rome last year and thumped them, after the win over Genoa, they have to feel they can get a result.

Lazio has been a little inconsistent offensively and while the talent is no doubt there to score some goals, the distractions may make it even worse.

Considering I cant seem to predict anything with any kind of consistency, my thoughts dont mean much but I do like Cagliaris approach on the road. However when facing a team that is under a bit of pressure, they seem to come up a bit short. Quite frankly I dont know which team will show up for either side so I will play it safe.

Prediction:
Lazio 1-1 Cagliari

Prediction record to date:
3-6