Lazio 1983-84: The Long and Winding Road to Safety

Lazio were finally back in Serie A after three difficult years in the second division, the "purgatory" of Serie B. Relegated unjustly due to the fact that four players had been involved in the Totonero scandal of 1980, in the first year the Biancocelesti had just missed out of promotion due to a missed penalty in the penultimate game. The 1981-82 season was rather dismal and Lazio managed to avoid relegation thanks to a Vincenzo D’Amico hat-trick in the final home match.

Promotion had been made possible thanks to the returns of Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia from their suspension who, together with D’Amico, and a mixture of young and experienced players, had managed to get over the line despite a long crisis in which the goal seemed to be slipping away. Fortunately, two wins and two draws in the last four games were enough to reach the long-awaited objective.

There was great enthusiasm among the fans mainly because Long John Giorgio Chinaglia, the hero of the 1973-74 scudetto, had returned as President with promises of wealthy partners and better times for the long-suffering Lazio fans. 

For the moment, the Laziali were content with just being back in the big time and having Chinaglia back.

Long John confirmed Giancarlo Morrone as manager. He had come in towards the end of the previous season taking Roberto Clagluna's place in an attempt to create a much-needed spark in a team that had gradually collapsed. Chinaglia also brought in some of his former contacts: Felice Pulici as general manager, Bob Lovati (technical director), Nello Governato (sporting director) and Renato Ziaco as Physio.

Despite the promises, the summer signings had not been so good.

Two defenders. Mauro Della Martira, who had spent five years at Fiorentina and the last two with Perugia before being suspended for the Totonero scandal, which was a strange signing but would bring some experience, and Massimo Piscedda, Lazio fan and formed in the youth sector, he came back after two one-year loan spells at Siena and Sanremese and was a player for the future.

Four midfielders. The first one was one of the foreign players acquired by Chinaglia, Brazilian Joao Batista. A biggish international name, he had played 38 times for Brazil. He was signed from Palmeiras and the fans were excited about his arrival. Angelo Cupini, a versatile and energetic player, he arrived after two good seasons with Cavese in Serie B. Claudio Vinazzani, a solid player, he had had seven good seasons with Napoli where he played 188 league games. Rinaldo Piraccini, a useful backup midfielder, he was signed from Pistoiese.

Last but not least Michael Laudrup. A young but extremely promising player arrived from Juventus on loan. The Bianconeri had just bought him from Brøndby where he had scored 24 league goals in one season.

Batista and Laudrup were Lazio's first foreigners since the "borders were closed", following Italy's disastrous 1966 World Cup campaign. Apart from these "exotic" signings there did not seem anything to get particularly excited about.

There were also the new contracts for Giordano and Manfredonia to solve. It was not easy but by the time they had to leave for the pre-season training everything was settled.

Leaving were quite a number of players:

• Maurizio Moscatelli - goalkeeper. He had been a big buy three years earlier but a serious injury had hindered his stay at Lazio and basically his whole career. He signed for Cavese in Serie B. 30 total appearances with the Biancocelesti.

• Ernesto Calisti - defender. A promising local talent, he was off to Cavese to gain some experience.

• Carlo Perrone - defender. Lazio had groomed and placed great hopes on him but he had not lived up to expectations and having joining Roma in '81-'82 meant the fans would not particularly miss him. He joined Ascoli in Serie A after 83 appearances with the Biancocelesti. 

• Paolo Pochesci - defender. Another home-grown lad who had not blossomed. He was off to Ascoli. He played 82 times for Lazio with 3 goals.

• Marco Saltarelli - defender. He was at Lazio for one season and had performed well but possibly not considered ready for top level, he was sold to Monza in Serie B. He had made 30 appearances last season. 

• Roberto Badiani - midfielder. A long serving player, over two spells ('74-'79 and '81-'83) he was having one last season with Vigor Senigallia in C2. He had made 226 appearances with Lazio with 7 goals.

• Michele De Nadai - midfielder. After four years with Roma and two with Lazio he was leaving the capital to play for Pistoiese in Serie B. 57 appearances with the Biancocelesti and seven goals.

• Maurizio Montesi - midfielder. An unlucky and controversial player. He had broken his leg twice and was forced to retire after 37 games with Lazio. He was also a whistle blower on the Totonero scandal. A politicised, cultured man with a social conscience maybe not cut out for the football world but unlucky all the same.

• Roberto Tavola - midfielder. After a disappointing year on loan with 25 appearances he was going back to Juventus.

• Claudio Ambu - forward. A decent forward but not a goal scorer, he was joining Monza in Serie B after only one season in Rome with 31 appearances and 4 goals.

• Stefano Chiodi - forward. After two poor spells ('80-81, '82-83), 40 appearances, 6 goals, and a crucial penalty miss he was joining Prato in Serie C1.

• Leonardo Surro - forward. Not considered Serie A material he was leaving for Siena in C1. He played 29 times for Lazio with 2 goals.

July & August

Lazio started the pre-season training at Castel del Piano near Grosseto in Tuscany on July 23. After a week the first friendly, a simple test with the local team won 9-0 with a Giordano hat-trick and braces from Laudrup as well as D’Amico. Young Mauro Meluso also scored, plus an own goal.

The second friendly was played on August 3 against Viterbese. Lazio won 8-1 with hat-tricks from Giordano and Laudrup plus a D’Amico brace.

Next up was Arezzo on August 7. A step up as far as difficulty was concerned since the Tuscans were in Serie B. The Biancocelesti won 3-1 scoring with Giordano and Manfredonia in the first half. Ezio Sella reduced the deficit in the second but Giancarlo Marini closed the score with six minutes left in the game.

The first difficulties arrived three days later when Lazio drew against third tier Siena playing very badly. Despite opening the score with Giordano, the bad day in the office for many players raised concerns. The next game, on August 13 at Ascoli, went even worse with the Biancocelesti losing 2-1. It was a first taste of Serie A for Lazio who scored in the first half with Giordano, but the locals equalised at the end of the first half and scored the winning goal 10 minutes from the end.

The final friendly before the Coppa Italia took place at the Olimpico against Dinamo Zagreb on August 17. Not a good match. Lazio scored with Batista after just 55 seconds, but the visitors equalised almost immediately. Giordano was booed and asked to be substituted in the second half. Already a few problems for Morrone and Chinaglia.

But now there was the Coppa Italia to play. Six teams in Group 2: Juventus, Bari (Serie C1), Catanzaro (Serie B), Perugia (Serie B) and Taranto (Serie C1). The top two qualified for the round of 16.

The first fixture was away against Catanzaro on August 21. Not a great match. Solid in defence and at midfield, Morrone’s boys had great difficulty in creating chances, the major one being a post hit by Vinazzani in the second half. The other scores saw Juventus beaten at Perugia and Bari winning at Taranto.

Game two saw Lazio beat Perugia three days later. A much better game and a great performance from Laudrup. 2-0 the final score thanks to Enrico Vella and D’Amico. In the other two games Juventus drew at Bari despite being 2-0 down with 6 minutes left in the game and Catanzaro beat Taranto. The table read: Bari, Catanzaro and Lazio 3 points, Perugia 2, Juventus 1 and Taranto 0.

On August 28 Lazio lost at Taranto. They were slightly unlucky with Manfredonia stopped by the woodwork, but Giordano missed three golden opportunities to score and Laudrup and Batista were not up to par. They did not play well. With Juventus beating Catanzaro and Perugia-Bari ending in a draw, qualification was now very difficult. Bari were now top with 4 points, Perugia, Lazio, Juve and Catanzaro on 3, Taranto 2.

Three days later Lazio played much better at Bari and should have won, at least they deserved to, but the game ended goalless. There was one game left, at home against Juventus who had beaten Taranto at home. Catanzaro and Perugia ended goalless. Now the table read Bari and Juventus 5 points, Lazio, Perugia and Catanzaro 4, Taranto 2. To qualify they needed to beat Juve.

September

Against Juventus on September 4, Lazio did everything they could to win and even went ahead thanks to an own goal, but the Bianconeri equalised immediately and the Biancocelesti were out of the Coppa Italia. Bari joined Juve in the round of 16 after drawing at home with Catanzaro. The other game, Taranto-Perugia, also ended in a draw.

So, a difficult start for Lazio, they should have sailed through the qualification but did not. But on September 11 there was the first Serie A fixture. The Biancocelesti went to Verona.

The first game was a disaster. Verona scored three in the first half and in the second the referee gave them a generous penalty. After the 4-0 the hosts stop playing and Laudrup scored a brace. But the performance was very, very poor. The fact that Batista was injured and hence did not play could not be an excuse.

A week later Lazio played at home with an ailing Inter. The Nerazzurri had also been eliminated in Coppa Italia and had lost their first home game against Sampdoria. The Biancocelesti put on a wonderful performance and crushed Inter 3-0 with goals from Giordano, Cupini and Laudrup. All smiles in the Roman camp, things were looking up and there was optimism all round.

The goalless draw against Genoa on September 25 did not dampen the enthusiasm. The match was awful and not much happened. Lazio again had difficulty in creating anything dangerous. When Giordano was well man marked, the team did not know what to do. And when even Laudrup had little space, there were no midfielders who could provide a spark.

But nonetheless, at the end of September, the Biancocelesti were eighth on three points, three behind leaders Roma.

October

On October 2 Lazio played at home against Juventus just a month after the Coppa Italia game. Packed stadium, big game. The Biancocelesti lost but played a great match, with scoring chances before and after Michel Platini’s goal late in the first half. Lazio had to bow to the superior quality of the Bianconeri but still showcased skills of their own. The usual couple of possible penalties ignored by the referee (a constant in almost every game Lazio have played against Juventus) just added to the what ifs.

A week later the Biancocelesti went to Genoa again this time to face Sampdoria. After 40 seconds Lazio fell behind and the match was immediately much more difficult. The Doriani however did not exploit the situation and when their manager, Ulivieri, got cold feet and took off Roberto Mancini for Casagrande to protect his defence, Lazio started to attack. Laudrup missed a sitter in the 71st minute but in the 78th a pointless foul on Vinazzani in the box allowed Giordano to equalise from the spot kick.

During the international break for the national teams, on October 16, 1983 Giorgio Chinaglia organised a friendly with New York Cosmos as a farewell. Giorgio played the first half with Cosmos and the second with Lazio. Laudrup scored after just two minutes dribbling half of the Cosmos defence (including Franz Beckenbauer). Cosmos managed to equalise in the 26th minute with a great lob over Massimo Cacciatori by Romerito. In the second half Laudrup scored again in the 52nd minute and the final goal came in the 76th. Giordano’s brilliant assist allowed Giorgio to fly towards the Cosmos penalty box unmarked. Chinaglia dribbled past the goalkeeper and scored. His final goal in his final match. Celebrations all around.

On the league return on October 23, the long awaited derby. The last one had been played in 1980. Roma were the strong favourites and won fairly comfortably 2-0. Lazio could not put up much opposition but did have two massive chances to reduce the deficit. Giordano missed a penalty and hit a post, but the result was never in much doubt. Roma too strong and Lazio lacking any ability at midfield to change the course of the match.

This game was the last for Vincenzo Chiarenza and Enrico Vella, both sold in the autumn transfer window. Vella was a fan favourite but after arguing with Morrone he asked Chinaglia to leave. He went to Atalanta while Chiarenza left for Triestina. Vella played 52 games for Lazio with six goals, Chiarenza 57 with one goal.

Chiarenza was substituted by Daniele Filisetti. An interesting full-back who came from Atalanta where he had played 141 games over six seasons. Also arriving was Mario Piga. A small dynamic midfield player, he came from Perugia but had previously played 128 league games for Avellino.

The last game of the month saw the Biancocelesti in Milan against the Rossoneri. A disastrous game and a 4-1 loss, the only goal scored by Manfredonia. Lazio were in deep trouble, just four points and joint last with Pisa.

November

The November 6 game was a must win against Avellino. Morrone was already risking his job as Lazio were far too low down in the table. The manager decided for something new and to give the team a bit more imagination in midfield, he put Laudrup slightly further back and introduced young forward Mauro Meluso. Meluso rose to the occasion scoring a brace and the Biancocelesti won their second game of Serie A 2-1. As a consequence, they left the bottom of the table.

It was just a flash in the pan because on November 20, after another break for the Nazionale, they collapsed 4-0 against Torino. Another disaster, another bad defeat and again questions on whether Morrone was the right manager for this struggling team.

Seven days later yet again a must win at home against struggling Catania. The Sicilians defended like crazy using every possible trick in the box. There is footage of Aldo Cantarutti continuously elbowing Manfredonia in the ribs on a corner kick in order to get a reaction. After a goalless first half, in the second Lazio dominated scoring twice with Giordano and once with Laudrup. A breath of fresh air.

The Biancocelesti at the end of the month were eleventh on 8 points in the company of Avellino and Napoli. They were still in trouble but not desperately so.

December

The first game of December, Lazio played at home against Fiorentina. After the first half they were winning 1-0 thanks to a great Giordano goal playing the best football so far this season. But in the second they collapsed and Fiorentina scored two.

On December 11 the Biancocelesti went to Naples. Last call for Morrone. Napoli were also in trouble and their centre forward Giovanni De Rosa had yet to score this season. No problem. Batista got sent off for dissent after 30 minutes and De Rosa scored a brace as Lazio collapsed 3-0. That was the end for Morrone.

Chinaglia chose Paolo Carosi as new manager. A former Lazio player, Carosi had led the Primavera team to a marvellous scudetto in the mid 1970s and was very highly regarded. Giordano and Manfredonia were the stars of that squad.

The situation was dire. Lazio were on 8 points, two more than bottom Catania, in the company of Pisa, and one below Genoa and Pisa. The Biancocelesti desperately needed to climb up the table and fast.

On December 18 under pouring rain they faced Zico’s Udinese. Without Batista, suspended, and without Giordano, injured. Carosi placed D’Amico as centre forward and hoped for the best. And Lazio did perform going 2-0 up after 35 minutes thanks to Vincenzino and Cupini. But then enter referee Gino Menicucci. He sent off Podavini for having allegedly offended the linesman. The Lazio right back swears, to this day, that all he did was to say to the linesman that it was not a corner. And that he did insult somebody, but it is was a team mate! Lazio were however down to ten men. The referee then decided he wanted to be the protagonist of the match and blew his whistle only to favour the visitors. Rumour has it that he had some issues with Chinaglia. Udinese reduced the deficit and in injury time there was a free kick for them. Vinazzani was placed in the wall, Menicucci stood right in front of him. Vinazzani could not see the ball and could not jump. On the cross Virdis equalised. Chinaglia had to be held back by several people as he threatened to hit the ref with his umbrella. Lazio in deep trouble, on nine points in 14th position.

On the last day of the year the situation got worse. At Ascoli after 23 minutes, Antonio Bogoni with a killer tackle broke Giordano’s leg. He was not even booked. Lazio collapsed and lost 2-0.

Life without probably one of the best centre forwards in Europe would not be easy and there was no backup plan. Serie B was just round the corner.

January

Last game of the first part of the season against Pisa at home without Giordano, Manfredonia and Podavini. The Tuscans had yet to win a game this season but courtesy of a very dismal performance by Lazio they did in Rome. No excuses. Pisa played as if their life depended on it, Lazio simply did not.

After the first 15 games the bottom of the table read: Pisa & Napoli 12, Genoa 11, Avellino 10, Lazio 9, Catania 8. Three teams would go down to Serie B.

Carosi realised that he had to do something and he put his faith in the players with greater experience. At this point D’Amico and Manfredonia took matters into their own hands and stepped up to lead the team. 

The first game of the second half of the season was against Verona on January 15. Carosi changed goalkeeper putting in Nando Orsi in place of Massimo Cacciatori. But after 30 minutes Verona went ahead when Maurizio Iorio scored a penalty. Cold shivers down the spines of the fans, but Manfredonia managed to equalise five minutes later. In the second half Claudio Garella, former Lazio keeper, saved everything so the game ended 1-1. A win would have been better but a point was also golden. At least they had played much, much better.

On January 22 an almost impossible game away to Inter. Lazio went one-nil after ten minutes with an unfortunate Manfredonia own goal. But they did not lose heart. They fought and took advantage of a Walter Zenga howler on a Manfredonia volley. Another golden point, defended tooth and nail and without Batista sent off in the 65^th minute.

Seven days later once again a must win match against Genoa. But once again Lazio fell behind in the score in the first half. Manfredonia came to the rescue for the third consecutive time. He scored the equaliser and got a penalty which D’Amico netted. A win. Finally. The bottom of the table read: Napoli 15, Lazio and Pisa 13, Avellino and Genoa 12, Catania 8. There was room for optimism. At last.

February

The first game in February arrived on the 12^th and it was away to Juventus. There was little hope for a positive result. What could Lazio without Giordano do against a team which had five World Champions plus Zibi Boniek and Platini. Predictable loss but with Laudrup scoring a fine goal.

Seven days later another massive opportunity for a win: Lazio-Sampdoria. Carosi now having found a system of play with D’Amico fake centre-forward, Manfredonia in midfield, Laudrup free to move and Batista taking charge of the midfield, meant that games could now be won. The Biancocelesti scored early with the Brazilian’s first Italian goal, but Mancini equalised towards the end of the first half. In the second a D’Amico penalty gave the Romans a much-needed win.

Next up the derby.

Roma were fighting for the scudetto but were four points behind Juventus in the company of Torino. They obviously needed to win and were clearly the favourites. How could struggling Lazio stop the might of the Giallorossi? Nine minutes and free kick for the Biancocelesti. D’Amico tried a shot, the ball hit Agostino Di Bartolomei and beat Franco Tancredi. Fifteen minutes later Podavini was fouled in the box. Penalty. D’Amico scored and Lazio were very surprisingly 2-0 up. At this point Roma got their act together and reduced the deficit on a penalty. At the beginning of the second half a senseless tackle from Manfredonia on Bruno Conti cost him a red card and the Giallorossi equalised shortly after. Lazio fans were expecting an onslaught from Roma which never materialised. The Biancocelesti got their point and Roma were further away from the scudetto.

The bottom of the table now read: Pisa 17, Avellino, Lazio, Napoli 16, Genoa 13, Catania 9.

March

First game of the month at home against Milan on the 11^th. Goalless draw and literally nothing happened for the entire match. Good point though.

For the next game seven days later, Lazio went to Avellino without Vinazzani and Manfredonia plus Giordano obviously. Back came the team that was struggling earlier in the year and as an obvious consequence Avellino won 3-0. The Biancocelesti just did not turn up.

On March 25 home game against Torino. A difficult match, but Lazio scored early with D’Amico and held on to the win until the end. At this point nobody really cared about the quality of the football, the most important thing was to get as many points as possible. The bottom of the table read: Avellino 21, Lazio and Napoli 19, Pisa 18, Genoa 15, Catania 10.

April

On April Fool’s day Lazio went to Palermo to play Catania. Nobody was fooled by the fact that the Sicilians were practically already in Serie B. Since there was no love lost between the two teams, the fans knew that Catania would play to the death and that is exactly what they did, going 1-0 up after 20 minutes. But Lazio regrouped and managed to equalise in the 66^th minute with a D’Amico penalty. Not much more could be asked of the Biancocelesti. Unfortunately, Genoa and Avellino won. Five games left in the season. Lazio had a one-point lead over Pisa, third from last.

The trouble at the game in Palermo caused by the Catania fans gave a glimmer of hope for Lazio to be awarded a 2-0 win, but that did not happen. In the meantime, Giordano started to train with the team. There was hope he could play in Florence on the 15^th, but one could not really expect the Lazio star to come back to play only just over 100 days after breaking a leg. Carosi in the end decided to take him and Bruno-Gol sat on the bench with the idea of getting him to play a few minutes.

In Florence Lazio played their best game of the season so far. They scored with Laudrup after 25 minutes but a great game from Daniel Passarella, who scored a brace in two minutes, overturned the result. The Biancocelesti could have equalised but the woodwork said no to Vinazzani twice before an unfortunate own goal gave Fiorentina 3-1 lead. Carosi decided to give Giordano 20 minutes of play and during that period Lazio scored on a D’Amico penalty. The Biancocelesti lost, but Giordano was back. Unfortunately, Genoa got closer and Napoli pulled further away.

Four games to the end of the season. The bottom of the table now read: Napoli and Avellino 23, Lazio 20, Genoa and Pisa 19, Catania 11 and mathematically in Serie B.

Next up on April 21, Lazio-Napoli.

Giordano was back in the centre of the attack. After only thirty seconds Batista fed Laudrup on the right, the Dane put a high ball into the area where Bruno Giordano's uncertain left footed low strike somehow went under Luciano Castellini’s body and found the net. Still inside the first minute and Lazio 1 Napoli 0. Then came a comedy of errors. Penalty for the Biancocelesti, Giordano took it but Castellini saved and then the Trasteverino striker scored on the rebound. 2-0? No, the referee ordered it to be retaken as some players had entered the area too early. Giordano stepped up again and it was saved again. End of story? No, the penalty had to be repeated for the same reason as before. This time D'Amico took the responsibility ... and missed. Laudrup then put things right and scored the 2-0. The visitors struck back but Laudrup scored again in the second half but Napoli again reduced the deficit with 13 minutes left in the game. Lazio then held strong and clinched the vital two points.

Three games to go: Avellino 24, Napoli 23, Lazio 22, Genoa 21, Pisa 19. Two places left and still that slender point lead.

On April 29 Lazio lost at Udine 2-0. An unfortunate own goal and a Zico jewel condemned the Biancocelesti to defeat. The table at the bottom read: Napoli and Avellino 24, Genoa and Lazio 22, Pisa 21. Next games were Lazio-Ascoli, Juventus-Avellino, Milan-Pisa, Fiorentina-Genoa and Napoli-Udinese.

May

Lazio needed three points to stay in Serie A and the first two had to come in the May 6 home game against Ascoli. Packed stadium, very hot. An own goal for each team meant that at the end of the first half it was 1-1. Napoli was winning 1-0, Avellino were losing, Pisa, Genoa and Lazio were drawing. This meant Napoli 26 points, Avellino 24, Genoa and Lazio 23, Pisa 21. But then Cupini scored for Lazio and Pisa lost so they were relegated. Avellino managed to draw and Napoli won thus leaving the race.

Going into the final match on May 13 Lazio had 24 points and Genoa 23. Final games Pisa-Lazio, Genoa-Juve but the Bianconeri had already won the title so they had little to lose.

A mass exodus of Lazio fans accompanied the team to Tuscany. The Arena Garibaldi was almost entirely light blue and white.

Things seemed to be looking up when the radios announced Juventus had taken the lead with Antonio Cabrini at Marassi after 7 minutes. Only three minutes later however, Genoa equalised with a Beniamino Vignola own goal. Back to square one until, only a minute later, Bruno-Gol scored for Lazio, with a header from a D'Amico free kick. Half time Pisa 0 Lazio 1 and Genoa 1 Juventus 1; Lazio 26 points, Genoa 24. Things were looking good.

At the beginning of the second half however Pisa equalised with a controversial goal by Danish Klaus Berggreen who seemed to score with his arm. So, 1-1 but Lazio were still safe.

Pisa pushed forward looking to go down with dignity and a win. Luca Birigozzi in the 52nd minute shot over the bar from a favourable position and five minutes later he had the mother of all chances. He found himself with an open goal with only Lazio's Batista on the goal line but somehow managed to get his shot cleared by the Brazilian. One of those chances that are easier to score than miss.

Having seen hell's door opening Lazio turned up the pressure and were rewarded in the 67th minute. Manfredonia was fouled in the area for a clear penalty. Giordano's low spot kick was not impeccable but went under keeper Alessandro Mannini for the 2-1.

Lazio then got a third, but Laudrup had his goal ruled out for offside. Still, going into the last two or three minutes the situation seemed under control, Lazio were winning and Genoa drawing.

Then in the 89th minute Stefano Bosetti scored for Genoa against the Italian Champions, Juventus. No panic, Lazio were still a point ahead. Then in the 90th minute Pisa equalised with Ferruccio Mariani. Lazio 25 points and Genoa 25 points.

A very tense few minutes of injury time saw Lazio hold on for their sacred point. Lazio were safe. The decider would not be goal difference (as in UK for example) but the direct matches in the league (0-0 and 2-1 to Lazio). The win over Genoa in January turned out to be a lifesaver for Lazio.

The fans were ecstatic and Chinaglia went down to the pitch to celebrate with the fans. “We will never suffer like this again”, he said. Alas, this was only the beginning of the suffering.