Three Things We Learned from Como vs Lazio: From Sarri-Ball to Impossi-Ball | OneFootball

After everything they went through this summer, Lazio fans were hoping that the start of the season would spark the beginning of a more promising chapter for the club. However, that bubble was swiftly burst on the shores of Lake Como, as Cesc Fabregas’ men exposed a plethora of weaknesses in the sorry Biancocelesti.

The Lariani had the upper hand in the first half, before eventually taking the lead through Anastasios Douvikas shortly after the break. After creating the opener, Nico Paz consolidated his man-of-the-match status by securing the 2-0 win with a jaw-dropping free-kick that left Ivan Provedel with no chance of producing a save.

Therefore, it’s time to delve into three takeaways from Lazio’s opening-day defeat to Como.

Ivan Provedel Turning Back Time

While we can list a host of negative conclusions, let’s try to deduce at least one positive. Sadly for the Aquile, there were hardly any, but Provedel’s return to form is good news for the club. The goalkeeper is coming off a disappointing campaign that saw him lose his starting berth to Christos Mandas, but he showed promising signs in pre-season.

Despite conceding twice at the Sinigaglia, the Italian confirmed his improved form by pulling off some stunning saves, including a contender for the best stop of the weekend against Mergim Vojvoda.

We can only hope that his Lazio teammates take some inspiration from the revitalized goalkeeper.

Returning Lazio Duo Waste Golden Chance

In normal circumstances, Danilo Cataldi and Matteo Cancellieri would probably have left the club again after returning from loan spells. Nevertheless, Lazio’s transfer ban, as well as other factors, played in their favor, so not only were they reintegrated into the squad, they also earned starting spots on the opening day of the season.

Nevertheless, neither man was able to make use of what could be a rare opportunity. Cataldi was mostly selected because Nicolo Rovella was beside his partner while giving birth to their daughter the night before, and he failed to impose his will in the middle of the park, while Cancellieri was easily stopped in his tracks every time he attempted a run.

The Italian winger might receive another chance against Hellas Verona, but with Gustav Isaksen returning after the international break, it could be do-or-die for Cancellieri.

No Chance for Sarri-Ball

Once upon a time, Sarri had top-notch stars at his disposal, the likes of Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Felipe Anderson. Thanks to their elegant technical skills, the manager was able to impose his famous Sarrismo. However, with the current crop of players at Formello, a Sarri-ball renaissance might be nearly impossible.

On Sunday, Como and Fabregas produced the sort of football that the 66-year-old aspires to play, and the gap in quality was utterly staggering. Therefore, Sarri will likely have to sacrifice some of the aspects of his philosophy, and try to adopt a simpler tactical approach, one that the likes of Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Nuno Tavares would be able to rapidly absorb.