The Sunday night fixture in Serie A is usually reserved for the most interesting fixture of the round, and last weekend was no different. The Derby della Capitale between Roma and Lazio was fascinating enough in itself, but this particular installment between clubs from the Ancient capital provided a look at two sides who had mixed fortunes in Europe last week.
The Giallorossi had been put firmly in the spotlight this after a stunning comeback versus Barcelona in the midweek Champions League fixture. Coach Eusebio Di Francesco switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation in order to outfox his opposite number Ernesto Valverde, and it paid off in some style. Roma managed to overturn a 4-1 deficit from the first leg at Camp Nou into a stunning 3-0 victory and now face Liverpool in the semi-final of that competition.
Sunday’s derby ended with a 0-0 stalemate, Lazio defender Stefan Radu sent off in the 80th minute as the Aquile hung on for the point. Edin Dzeko was desperately unfortunate not to win the fixture in the dying minutes, seeing one shot saved, one shot hit the bar and one shot go just wide of the target in a thrilling final few minutes.
As the season continues, it is unclear whether Di Francesco will use his new tactic on a more permanent basis or revert to a version of his normal 4-3-3, but as a former Giallorossi midfielder, the Coach knew exactly what was at stake in the derby. “I welcome a game like this one, because you don’t need to prepare or motivate the players for it,” revealed the Coach in his pre-match press conference. “It’s worth more than three points, it’s a place in the Champions League and of course the history around it too.”
“[Versus Barca] It was a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-3, depending on how the movements went. It was a carefully pondered tactical choice and made us realise we can play other games in that style too. Let’s not forget we reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 4-3-3 formation.”
His reference to the Champions League places is exactly right. Juventus and Napoli look to have the first two available spots sewn up, but Roma and Lazio sat level on 60 points going into the derby with Inter lurking behind them in fifth with 59. Only four of those clubs will reach the elite competition by the end of the season, which made this match all the more significant.
While the red and yellow supporters in the city were busy celebrating their astonishing achievement this week, Lazio fans were devastated by their Europa League exit. They suffered just like Barcelona had after Red Bull Salzburg overturned a 4-2 lead, the Biancocelesti enduring a complete collapse to go down 4-1 in Germany.
With this in mind, both teams approached the derby from very different places, and it certainly showed. Roma tried to play more expansive football as they had done versus Barcelona and Lazio were extremely effective at shutting them down and attempting to hit them on the break.
With this in mind, Simone Inzaghi should be feeling more positive about the point than his opposite number Di Francesco. “Perhaps Lazio aren’t expected to be up there, but after 32 rounds we clearly earned our chance and we’ll play our cards as best we can,” said Inzaghi after the match. “Before the season began, most people didn’t even think we’d be in the top seven. I understand we lost some important players, but we brought in very good ones too.”
The stalemate might have not been ideal for either side but it makes the race for the Champions League even more exciting as the season draws to a close. Milan still have a very small chance with 53 points, but the race for those coveted third and fourth spots look likely to be won by two from Lazio (61 points), Roma (61 points) and Inter (60 points).
