Over the last few seasons, few teams have endured as many false dawns as Lazio. Since winning the 2013 Coppa Italia – their last major trophy – they have finished ninth, third, eighth and fifth in Serie A, employing five different managers over that same period. One, Marcelo Bielsa, never took charge of a competitive match, but Vladimir Petković, Edy Reja and Stefano Pioli all made promising starts only to eventually stumble and find themselves replaced.
Only Stefan Radu and Senad Lulic remain from the side who lifted the cup with a win over bitter rivals AS Roma five years ago, but Felipe Anderson arrived just one month later and his form has reflected that of the team around him ever since. When Lazio look set to make the leap and become an elite side, the Brazilian winger appears to be unstoppable, but as they slump down the table he becomes as predictable and uninspiring as an empty Stadio Olimpico.
His form in 2014/15 led to talk of a €45 million move to England as Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United all circled, while Barcelona were thought to be keen to reunite the former Santos star with close friend Neymar at Camp Nou. Repeatedly delivering match-winning performances, he won praise from seemingly everyone, including then-Sampdoria boss Sinisa Mihajlovic who was left awestruck after his side were torn apart by Anderson as he scored and laid on two assists in a 3-0 Lazio victory.
“Felipe Anderson looked like Cristiano Ronaldo tonight,” the fiery Coach said at his post-match press conference. “He was the only one who created real problems, he changed the game and was man of the match by a mile. How would I have dealt with him when I was playing? I’d have given him a few kicks, certainly. Mind you, to do that you’ve got to catch him!”
Scoring in the Rome derby further endeared him to the Biancocelesti faithful and he ended that campaign with 10 goals and seven assists while leading all Serie A players with 4.5 successful take-ons per 90 minutes. Possessing devastating pace and acceleration, Anderson relished the opportunity to take on his man and left a trail of defenders in his wake, which made his subsequent loss of form even more notable. His confidence came and went over the following three seasons, peaks and troughs that mirrored Lazio’s indifferent league form perfectly, with the 2017/18 campaign capturing an illustration of just how inconsistent he can be.
Anderson missed the early part of the season with an injury, but the team – now led by Simone Inzaghi – thrived in his absence, winning the Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus and remaining in contention for a Champions League berth. He returned in December, but by January he had infuriated his Coach, culminating in a heated exchange following a loss to Genoa in which Anderson looked lackadaisical and disinterested.
According to journalist Giulio Cardone of Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Inzaghi lambasted the Brazilian’s attitude in front of the entire team, to which the player reportedly responded "I knew you would come to me. You always take it out on me.” Subsequently sent to train with the youth team, Anderson seemingly accepted the punishment and apologised to his Coach before being brought back into the side for a Europa League tie against Steaua Bucharest.
Anderson bagged a goal and two assists in a 5-1 rout, then set up two more goals in a Serie A win over Sassuolo, suddenly a vital player once more as Lazio vied for a top four finish with Inter. Their battle came down to a head-to-head meeting on the final day and the no.10 would certainly do his part, scoring after a quick counterattack to put his side 2-1 ahead.
Inter came back to win 3-2, but Inzaghi certainly couldn’t blame Anderson this time, the 25-year-old completing four take-ons, creating three clear scoring chances, all of which were squandered as Lazio collapsed with two men sent off.
That meant missing out on a return to the Champions League, but it seems English clubs have once again taken note of the pacy Brazilian’s ability. Leicester City, Southampton and even Chelsea are thought to be interested, while AS Monaco have been mentioned as another possible destination. West Ham look to be ahead of them all however, with La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that the Hammers made a £33 million bid that was instantly rejected by Lazio who believe he is worth at least a further £10 million on top of that sum.
If he “looked like Cristiano Ronaldo” more often, it would obviously be worth meeting that valuation, but any club bidding for Felipe Anderson has to be aware that his inconsistency will almost certainly be the only consistent factor in his play.
