Italian Serie A, Week 15: Lazio Face Tough Test Against Slowly Strengthening Inter Milan

After Lazio’s 3-1 win over Inter Milan at the Olimpico, the questions about Rafael Benitez’s job security will be raised yet again. Despite knowing exactly what Lazio were going to do tactically, Benitez had no answers. The match was fairly even with both teams having their own stretches of being the better side, but at the end of the day, Lazio had the finishing quality that Inter did not. Sure, a lot of this had to do with Lazio just being good. A lot of it had to do with some Inter players having an off day. However, it has to be said that a lot of it also had to do with Benitez playing Sneijder out of his natural position, rendering him borderline useless until his team was down 1-0.

Giuseppe Biava’s scored a bit of a lucky goal with his stomach to open the scoring on the 26th minute, but the goal came off a great set piece delivery and some poor defending by Inter. This was not Lazio’s first dead ball opportunity, as Inter gave away quite a few to start the match. At this point, down 1-0, Inter changed their tactics and played much better until Lazio’s second goal, but ultimately failed to produce anything.

After 73 minutes, we may have a game after all. Inter Milan have brought one goal back thanks to Goran Pandev, who had been previously ineffective. If Samuel Eto’o or Diego Milito were available off the bench, it’s unlikely that Pandev would have been given 73 minutes to find a goal. Regardless, due to his persistence, Inter are back in the match.

It was hardly a pretty goal for Pandev, but they all count the same. After working into his area, Pandev took a hard shot that was blocked by his defender. Unfortunately for Lazio, the ball bounced right back to him. That shot and block threw off Fernando Muslera, who dove to stop the shot that never got to him. This meant that he was out of position when Pandev got the ball back, and Pandev’s finish was made easier as a result. He put the ball into the back of the net and Inter cut Lazio’s lead, making the score 2-1.

Leading up to the key Serie A fixture between Lazio and Inter Milan, Lazio have put out a lineup that resembles what they have done throughout the season while Rafa Benitez’s selection for Inter Milan looks bizarre at first glance. However, when you take into account the massive volume of injuries and suspensions that his team has suffered in recent weeks, his selection makes sense based on the players available to him. Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, and Phillipe Coutinho are all out, leaving Benitez with limited attacking options. As a result, he is using a formation that is not completely foreign to him and his side, but different from his well-known 4-2-3-1 setup. Here are your lineups.

Lazio lineup (4-4-2 Diamond): Muslera / Dias, Biava, Radu, Lichtsteiner / Brocci, Matuzalem, Mauri, Hernanes / Floccari, Zarate

Serie A Week 15 kicks off early, with Internazionale traveling to Rome to face Lazio. The host spent much of the first part of the season sitting comfortably in first place, but a recent dip in form has allowed AC Milan to snatch the top slot, leaving Lazio three points behind in second. Inter Milan, meanwhile, have not been the poster-child for terrific form either, often looking like a shadow of last season’s treble-winning side.

Lazio may look better on paper, considering they have no significant injury concerns and are four points up on Inter, but the Biancoceleste have won just once in their last five matches and look to be regressing back to where their true talent lies, which is more in the upper-mid table range. Inter haven’t lost at the Stadio Olimpico in seven years, and it seems unlikely that will change tonight. Lazio have struggled in recent weeks to control the ball in midfield, and considering Inter will field something like twelve midfielders tonight, Lazio will likely spend much of the match just chasing the ball.