Before the international break, Bodø/Glimt’s opponent in the Europa League quarter-finals suffered a painful loss. Only days after Lazio played their way through in the Europa League, the club followed up with 7 shots on goal and 5 goals – against them – in Serie A.
Lazio are fighting for a Champions League ticket in Serie A with Bologna last month, so there should be nothing to say about motivation or focus. Away from home, Lazio conceded a 1-0 score after the quarter of an hour, but went to half-time with every opportunity to turn the game around in the second half. We don’t know what Lazio coach Marco Baroni said to his players, but the effect was total collapse. Bologna scored twice before five minutes of the second half had passed and punctuated the game completely.
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The home team did not give up until it was 5-0 on the scoreboard. For Europa League quarter-finalist Lazio the total collapse.
After the international break, Lazio followed up with a draw with Torino at home, on Sunday Lazio got up completely, with a strong 0-1 away win against Atalanta. Two days later, and a few days before the Bodø/Glimt match at Aspmyra, club president Claudio Lotito confirms they will extend with coach Marco Baroni.
Baroni is after 43 games as Lazio manager with an average of 1.88 points per game, is in the fight for a Champions League ticket in Serie A and – in other words, ready for a match against Bodø/Glimt on Thursday.
“We started a three-year project with Baroni. We are extending his contract,” the club president told Italian Sky Sports.
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We like it when a club goes out early and before the end of the season by showing confidence in the coach, but still can’t help but think that the timing two days before the game against Bodø/Glimt is not random. The Lazio president knows the club can go on a peel against Scandinavia’s best club. It probably won’t be quite as palatable for the Lazio supporters if coach Baroni gets “full confidence going forward” after being knocked out by a “Nordic football mosquito”.
