NOT TO SENTIMENTS
Since 2001, a lot of water has flowed. The then third place owner of the club Sergio Craniotti considered a major failure - after all, a year earlier it was scudetto. As if breaking with the past, in one fell swoop, Craniotti parted with two style-forming football players: Pavel Nedved and Juan Sebastian Veron. The president of “Lazio” invested half of the proceeds in the purchase of Gaiski Mendieta, an extremely highly rated at that time. The team could not endure such transfer adventures. Not only did the bet on the Spanish midfielder, to put it mildly, not be justified, but also the financial crisis, which covered the calcho with an avalanche, had an especially painful impact on the “biancoceles”.
In 2002, Lazio was already sold both wholesale and retail. Alessandro Nesta was ready to play for his native club until the end of his career, but for Craniotti and in better times there were no unsaleable players, and even in that fire situation he was not at all sentimental. The idol of tiffozeria was sold to Milan for 30.5 million euros. However, this desperate step did not save the sky blue from bankruptcy. In early 2003, Craniotti officially left the club, and a year later he was completely taken into custody ...
Despite the financial fiasco, “Lazio” quite adequately spent two seasons, during which the club had external management. Roberto Mancini was able to mobilize the remaining forces (Stankovic, Fiore, Peruzzi) and prevent the team from withering.
PRESIDENT WITHOUT COMPLEXES
A new chapter in the history of the club was opened on July 19, 2004, when Lazio found its new owner. He became the 47-year-old Claudio Lotito - a figure in Italy known and partly scandalous. The most important problem that confronted him was the repayment of the club’s gigantic debts. Communications among the Italian political elite allowed Lotito to restructure Lazio's debts. Stabilization of the economic state of sky blue can safely be added to the assets of the new president.
After analyzing the mistakes of his predecessor, Lotito abandoned the practice of dashing shopping. Claudio began to form a team either from free agents, or from not too expensive players, often acquiring only half the rights to them. Having abandoned the first transfer net in 2004, Lotito fished out, in particular, the militant and stubborn striker Empoli Tommaso Rocchi, who now regularly receives invitations to the national team and is under the scrutiny of Juventus.
Minimum risk - this is the main leitmotif of the president’s management of “bianco-iron”. In the summer of 2005, he focused on players from Serie B. For Behrami, Mudingayi and Stendardo Lotito, he paid only 3 million euros. As a result, the first became the successor of Massimo Oddo on the right edge of the defense, the second poured cement on the support zone, and the third looks promising in the center of defense.
One of Lotito's most expensive purchases - the Argentinean Cerberus of Ledesma - cost him 5.3 million euros last summer. However, anyone who has seen this football player this season will confirm that Lotito made a brilliant deal. In the reckless Lecce, the merits of Ledesma’s opornik did not always look obvious. But in such a serious club as Lazio, the Argentine was able to prove that he is potentially a world-class midfielder. It is unlikely that Inter, having long been asking the price of Christian, or some other top club will be able to purchase it now for less than 15 million.
Yes, and Lotito is not going to arrange a sale of his finds. The most liquid Lazio players - Behrami, Ledesma and Pandev - are still quite young. They are still quite capable of both enhancing the club’s game and increasing their value.
Lotito knows how to part with the players at the very peak of their transfer demand. Convincing evidence is the sale of 30-year-old Massimo Oddo to Milan for almost 8 million euros. The Rossoneri had so long and so longed to sign Oddo, which seemed to stop paying attention to his age. He is not at all critical for his fellow compatriots, but it is obvious that getting that kind of money for a player in the fourth ten (and after all, Milan also lost to Lazio the right to a young winger Foggia!) Is a great art. Here, Swiss Behrami, who took the position of Oddo, came in handy. In defense, Valon does not look weaker, but with forward connections, perhaps, more inventive.
There is a very extravagant page in the transfer history of Lotito. Three years ago, he returned to the homeland of the frantic Paolo Di Canio. Lazio, which Stam, Fiore, and Mikhailovich then left, needed a new leader in the locker room. As a result, Di Canio exceeded all expectations. In terms of popularity and authority among the ultras, he seems to have outperformed all the partners and employees of the club together. Famous fascist salutes made him a cult person among the far-right club's tiffozi, but infuriated Claudio Lotito. In the summer of 2006, Di Canio and Lazio parted with a scandal and for a long time resolved financial disagreements in a Roman court.
However, the policy of the president of sky blue is not universally accepted with a bang. Neither a visible improvement in the financial position of the club, nor a sensationally high position in the standings increased Lotito's popularity among tiffozi. Moreover, a year ago, a group of businessmen led by former club striker Giorgio Kinalia tried to remove Claudio from the presidency. However, in October, the "revolutionaries" were imprisoned when it became clear that they had repeatedly received threats against the Lotito family ...
In addition, many fans of the club are still nostalgic for the age of Craniotti and do not want to put up with the politics of tightened belts. It seems that only the conquest of the Scudetto can increase the authority of Lotito.
CHALLENGE FOR OSCAR
Another thing is Lazio head coach Delio Rossi. Well, in whom tiffozi “bianco-jest” simply do not respect the soul! The 46-year-old native of Rimini ended up at Lazio in the summer of 2005. Consistently disappointed in Domenico Cazo and Giuseppe Papadopulo, Claudio Lotito more thoroughly approached the choice of a new protege.
There were no tangible career accomplishments in Rossi’s track record. He managed to both sensationally rise into Serie A (with Salernitana) and ingloriously leave it (with Lecce). Pescara, Genoa, Foggia - his other teams - were also not seen in something outstanding. What did Lotito find in this seemingly ordinary coach?
The president of Lazio later admitted that he was impressed by the work of Rossi in Atalanta. Delio also did nothing unusual for himself in Bergamo - in the 04/05 season the team safely left Serie A. It is another matter that Rossi headed the distressed Atalanta only in the middle of the season and not only lifted it from last place, but hardly not saved from demotion.
Only a year and a half has passed, and now Rossi is called the main contender for the Oscar coaching of the season. Tiffosi “Lazio” irrevocably fell in love with him after an epic victory over “Roma” in the first round - 3: 0. The rest of Italy football appreciates the excellent strategist and tactics that can squeeze the most out of the available players. By the way, last year, some Lazio players, whose contracts were nearing completion, refused to renew them if the agreement with Rossi were not prolonged. As a result, the coach signed a new contract until 2011.
MAURI HAS DONE
The definitely successful finds of Delio Rossi, of course, include the 27-year-old midfielder Stefano Mauri. With the discoveries of the season, it is universally accepted to call young football players, however, in series A, there are frequent exceptions. For example, Cristiano Doni and Luca Toni showed themselves brightly, approaching the threshold of thirty years. A fresh example of late ripening is just Mauri. For a long time, Stefano was considered a very promising left midfielder, steadily speaking for “Modena”, “Brescia” and “Udinese”.
In January last year, learning about the interest in his person “Lazio”, Mauri instructed Agent Tiziano Gondzaghe to arrange a move to the capital at all costs. As a result, the clubs designed something like a rental exchange, letting Roberto Baronio along the route Rome - Udine.
Stefano made a strong impression on the new employers, and already in the summer Lotito finally bought his transfer from the Friulians for 3.5 million euros. After the departure of Fabio Liverani and Paolo Di Canio, Lazio needed a charismatic and creative figure, connecting the middle line and the attack. Rossi saw such a man in Mauri. The “bianco-jest” coach unfastened Stefano from the usual left flank and gave him complete creative freedom, which three central midfielders are called upon to provide.
Inspired by coaching confidence, Mauri had started the season so well that the steering “Azzurra Squadra” Roberto Donadoni simply could not ignore his candidacy. In October, Stefano received a call for a match with the Ukrainian team.
LOTTO LINE
“Lazio” has not known defeat for 12 matches, and in the last 7 meetings and does not lose points. Everything goes to the fact that in the fall in the Champions League will be both Roman clubs. Claudio Lotito is not an enemy of himself and will certainly prevent the departure of leading football players, which many already predict. There are plenty of candidates for Ledesma, Rocky, Pandev and others, but the president of "sky blue" stubbornly rejects the proposals. Lotito has chosen his line of conduct as president and adheres to it to the end. From the era of Craniotti, Claudio intends to borrow only the results, but not the methods to achieve them.