Lazio invest in Brocchi to beat Zurich
Second half replacement Cristian Brocchi livens Lazio up and gives European hope
The season so far
Lazio had narrowly missed out on Champions League the previous season with 5th place.
This year Edy Reja had been confirmed but there had been a few changes to the squad.
The main novelty was in goal, as Lazio had bought Federico Marchetti from Cagliari while Fernando Muslera went to Galatasaray, in Turkey. The other main new arrivals were defenders Abdoulay Konko (Genoa) and Lorik Cana (Galatasaray), midfielder Senad Lulic (Young Boys, a name to watch out for… Lulic that is), forwards Djibril Cissé (Panathinaikos) and above all Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich).
The other main player leaving was defender Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) while others were midfielders Pasquale Foggia (Sampdoria - on loan with clause to buy), Christian Manfredini (end of Contract -Sambonifacese) plus forwards Sergio Floccari (Parma - on loan with clause to buy) and Mauro Zarate (Inter - on loan with clause to buy).
So far, in Serie A Lazio had won 5, drawn 3 and lost 1, so a positive start. The highlight was beating Roma, on October 16, with a Miroslav Klose 93rd minute winner.
This evening, however, was a European League game. Lazio had got through the Playoff defeating Macedonians Robotnički 9-1 on aggregate. In the group stage the Biancocelesti had played three; two draws (Romanians Vaslui 2-2 at home, FC Zurich 1-1 away) and lost one (Sporting Lisbon 2-1 away). Lazio had 2 points.
Lazio desperately needed a win against the Swiss if they wanted to have a chance of progressing in Europe.
The previous season FC Zurich had finished 2nd in the Swiss Super League, one point behind Basel. The manager was former player Urs Fisher who had taken over in April 2010 from Bernard Challandes.
This season Fischer had been confirmed. So far, in the Europa League Zurich had lost one (Sporting Lisbon 0-2 at home) and drawn two (Vaslui 2-2 away and Lazio 1-1 at home). The "Züri" too therefore had 2 points while Sporting Lisbon were top with 9 and Vaslui had 2.
Two teams passed but the second placed team would have to play a team coming down from the Champions League.
This was a crucial game for both sides' European ambitions.
The match: Thursday, November 3, 2011, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Only 15,000 turned up for this midweek European game. The 7 o'clock kick-off not convenient for many fans' working schedules. About 700 "Zürcher" fans had made the trip down from beyond the Alps.
Lazio rested Cissé, Cristian Brocchi, Konko and Hernanes (all on the bench with minor injuries). Zurich had Amine Chermiti on the bench while Adrian Nikci had been left in Switzerland.
Lazio started out on the attack but after only two minutes the visitors had a colossal chance. Alexandre Alphonse charged down the right and crossed for Yassine Chikhaoui unmarked in the middle, it took a brilliant Marchetti save to keep the score level.
After this early scare Lazio settled and took charge. The Biancocelesti pushed forward and had several chances. Giuseppe Sculli headed high, Cana had a central shot blocked and Lulic had a powerful effort saved into corner by the keeper.
Lazio had possession but midfielders were imprecise rarely managing to put more than a couple of passes together. Lazio’s midfield was muscular and physical but slow, lacking in skill and creativity. Zurich took advantage and often found space on the break.
Reja tried a tactical change inverting the wingers; Lulic on the left and Sculli on the right. Just before halftime came Lazio’s biggest chance. Klose dribbled past three defenders but was anticipated at the last moment by Ricardo Rodriguez when he was about to shoot and probably score from close range. Half time Lazio 0 Zurich 0.
For the second half Reja replaced Lulic with Brocchi and Klose with Cissé. Fischer was satisfied with how things were going.
Lazio therefore switched to a 4-3-3 formation. The new set up did not improve things, the midfield remained clumsy, without ideas and error strewn. The Swiss broke again with Alphonse who went solo and stormed through Lazio’s defence towards Marchetti, who had to come off his line and dive low to avert the threat.
At this point Lazio accelerated their game, especially thanks to Christian Brocchi's dynamism. The opportunities started to come but Cissé, Ledesma and Cana's shots went wide. The Italo-Argentinian in particular should have done better from a good position, even if his shot went extremely close to the post.
Lazio's increased sense of urgency paid off in the 62nd minute. After a back heel by Cisséhttps://www.laziostories.com/post/stefan-radu, Brocchi tried his luck from outside the area, the ball took a slight deflection off Teixeira and beat Leoni. Lazio 1 Zurich 0.
Zurich now had to open up and go for an equaliser and this favoured Lazio. The home side had several chances to double their lead especially with Cissé but the Frenchman despite good running and positioning never managed to score.
Lazio's solid midfield was extremely efficient now and Zurich despite making three substitutions were rarely dangerous anymore. Final score Lazio 1 Zurich 0.
A fundamental win for Lazio. The Eagles had struggled in the first half but when they changed pace in the second the crucial goal had come.
In the other group match Vaslui had surprisingly beaten Sporting Lisbon so the new table read; Sporting 9, Lazio 5, Vaslui 5, Zurich 2. The next match up was Vaslui vs Lazio in Romania.
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Zauri (78' Konko), Diakité, Dias, Radu, Lulic (46' Brocchi), Cana, Ledesma, Sculli, Klose (46' Cissé), Rocchi
Manager: Reja
Who played for FC Zurich
Leoni, P. Kloch, Beda, Teixeira, Rodriguez, Mehmedi (65' Chermiti), Aegerter, Zouaghi, Djuric (76' Schoenbachler), Chikhaoui (61' Magnin), Alphonse
Substitutes: Guatelli, R. Koch, Barmettler, Buff
Manager: Fischer
Referee: Koukoulakis (Greece)
Goals: 62' Brocchi
What happened next
Lazio drew 0-0 in Romania and then beat Sporting Lisbon 2-1 at home. They came 2nd in the group behind the Portuguese.
They then played Atlético Madrid, relegated from the Champions League, and were well beaten 1-4 on aggregate.
In Serie A things went better and Lazio finished 4th (EL), however missing out on Champions League again by two points. Lazio won 18 (including Milan 2-0 and Inter 3-1), drew 8 and lost 12. They also won the return derby 2-1, completing the double over bitter rivals Roma after many years.
In Coppa Italia, Lazio beat Verona 3-2 but then were eliminated by Milan 3-1 away.
Top scorer was Klose with 15 goals (12 in A).
Zurich then lost 0-2 away to Sporting Lisbon and beat Vaslui 2-0 at home. They finished bottom of the group with 5 points.
In the Swiss Super League the "FCZ" finished a disappointing 6th. In March Fischer was sacked and replaced by Harald Gämperle.
The Europa League was eventually won by Atlético Madrid who beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the final in Bucharest. Sporting Lisbon also made it to the semi-finals but were defeated by the Basques 3-4 on aggregate.
Lazio 2011-12
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 56 |
Coppa Italia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Europa League | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
Total | 50 | 23 | 11 | 16 | 77 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
Ledesma | 47 | 37 | 2 | 8 |
Hernanes | 42 | 31 | 2 | 9 |
Gonzalez | 40 | 31 | 2 | 7 |
Marchetti | 39 | 31 | 1 | 7 |
Lulic | 38 | 27 | 2 | 9 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
Klose | 15 | 12 | - | 3 |
Hernanes | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
Rocchi | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
Cisse | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Kozak | 5 | 4 | - | 1 |
5 | 4 | - | 1 | |
Sculli | 5 | 2 | - | 3 |
Let’s talk about: Giuseppe Sculli
Giuseppe Sculli was born in Locri (Reggio Calabria), on March 23, 1981.
He started his football career in the Juventus academy in 1996. He was in the first team squad between 1998 and 2000 but never made his debut.
In 2000 he returned to Calabria and joined Crotone on loan. The "Squali" (The Sharks) were in Serie B. The manager was first Juventus legend Antonello Cuccureddu and then former Lazio player and manager Giuseppe Papadopulo. The Rossoblu finished 9th. The following year the Calabresi changed managers five times and were unsurprisingly relegated (Antonio Cabrini, Francesco Strangio, Cabrini again, Stefano Cuoghi, Giuseppe Materazzi and finally Franco Selvaggi). In his two years with the "Pitagorici" Sculli played 51 league games with 8 goals and 2 games in Coppa Italia.
In 2002 he went to Modena on loan in Serie A. The Canarini came 12th under Gianni De Biasi. Sculli played 31 league games with 8 goals (winner against Roma, Torino x2, Como, Chievo, Reggina, Bologna x2) plus 1 game in Coppa Italia. He was the Gialloblu's top scorer. He played alongside former Lazio Marco Ballotta and future captain Stefano Mauri.
In 2003 he joined Chievo on loan. The Clivensi finished 9th in Serie A under Luigi Del Neri. Sculli played 18 league games with 2 goals (Brescia, Milan) plus 2 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Perugia). His teammates included Lazio connections Luca Marchegiani, Roberto Baronio and Daniele Franceschini.
In 2004, again on loan, he was at Brescia. The "Rondinelle" (The Little Swallows) were relegated to Serie B under De Biasi first and then Alberto Cavasin. Sculli played 28 league games. The squad included Matías Almeyda, until November and Stefano Del Nero, Marius Stankevicius, Maurizio Domizzi and Daniele Adani.
In 2005 he moved nearer home to Messina on loan in Serie A. The Giallorossi were relegated on the pitch, under first Bortolo Mutti and then Gian Piero Ventura, but then stayed up, due to other teams' involvement in the Calciopoli scandal. Sculli played 34 league games with 2 goals. One of his attacking partners was future Lazio Sergio Floccari.
In 2006 he finally signed for another club and joined Genoa. He stayed five seasons. In his first the Rossoblu were promoted back to Serie A under Gian Piero Gasperini (Sculli's coach at youth level at Juve). The following four years were spent in the top flight under Gasperini and then in the last year Davide Ballardini from November. The "Grifone" finished 10th, 5th (EL), 9th and 10th. Sculli played 125 league games with 22 goals plus 8 in Europa League with 2 goals (Slavia Prague, Lille). He also played 7 games in Coppa Italia and scored a goal against Inter. The highlight however was possibly a winner against Milan in a league game in 2010. His teammates in his years in Genoa included Marco Di Vaio, Giuseppe Greco, Abdoulay Konko, Giuseppe Biava, Sergio Floccari and Hernan Crespo.
In January 2011 he joined Lazio. The manager was Edy Reja and the Biancocelesti finished 5th (EL). Sculli played 13 league games with 2 goals (Palermo x2).
In 2011-12 he stayed at Lazio. He played 11 league games with 2 goals (Genoa and winner against Parma), 1 game in Coppa Italia and 6 in Europa League with 3 goals (Vaslui, Zurich and Sporting Lisbon). In January 2012, however, Sculli returned to Genoa on loan. For the record Lazio had a good season finishing 4th and winning both derbies 2-1 (one in Sculli's period)
Back in "Zena" he played 17 league games and scored 3 goals (Lecce x2, Palermo) plus 1 game in Coppa Italia. The Rossoblu got through three managers (Alberto Malesani, Pasquale Marino, Malesani again and then Luigi De Canio) and narrowly avoided relegation.
In 2012-13 he was back at Lazio but never played under Vladimir Petkovic and in January was loaned to Pescara in Serie A. The Adriatici had former Lazio player Cristiano Bergodi as manager but he was replaced on March 4 by Cristian Bucchi. The "Delfini" were relegated and Sculli played 10 league games with 1 goal (Genoa). His teammates included former Lazio, Luciano Zauri.
He then returned to Lazio but, before getting any games, in January 2014 was loaned to Genoa. He played 10 league games under Gasperini and Genoa finished 14th.
In 2014-15 he was back at Lazio but again never played and in June 2015 his contract ran out.
In 2016-17 he spent one last year with Accademia Pavese in Eccellenza (5th tier). He played 23 games and scored 31 goals plus 1 game in the Amateur Coppa Italia with 2 goals.
Sculli then retired at 36.
He played at every Italy level from the U15's through to the U21's but never won a full Italy cap. With the U21's he played 20 times with 9 goals, winning a European Championship in 2004 under Claudio Gentile. He also played 5 games at the Athens 2004 Olympics, winning a bronze medal.
Sculli was an attacking midfielder who usually played on the wing. He was a technical and versatile player who scored 38 goals in Serie A. He did not quite fulfil his potential, one problem being his hybrid position between a midfielder and a forward. His idol was Johan Cruijff and he often wore the number 14 shirt.
At Lazio he was a mixed success. He played a total of 31 games with 7 goals but never became a regular player and in the last few years never fitted in again.
He was a controversial character off the field, not helped by being the nephew of the 'ndrangheta (Calabrian mafia) boss Giuseppe Morabito (arrested in 2012 after 12 years on the run). Sculli's father and uncle were also arrested in 2013 for their involvement in the clan. When Italy U21's won the 2004 Olympic bronze, Sculli unlike the rest of the squad was not invited to be congratulated by the President of the Republic at the Quirinale.
Sculli himself was suspended for 8 months in 2006 for alleged match fixing. He was also investigated for homicide and drug trafficking but these accusations were then dropped.
In his time in Rome, he was reported to have had contacts with the Banda della Magliana (Roman criminal organization) and was involved in the 2011 betting/match fixing scandal and suspended for six months.
In Genoa the Procura Federale (Sports Justice Organization) requested a three-month ban for lying about his contacts with the Ultras and in particular with Massimo Leopizzi, a neo-fascist with a criminal record.
This is not the time and place to enter into these matters in detail but let's just say that unlike some players he was not just family (not in the classic sense anyway) and training ground.
On the field Sculli played 286 games in Serie A with 38 goals, 62 games in Serie B with 12 goals, 14 games in Coppa Italia with 2 goals and 14 in Europe with 5 goals.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
Jan-June 2011 | 13 (2) | 13 (2) | - | - |
2011-Jan 2012 | 18 (5) | 11 (2) | 1 | 6 (3) |
Total | 31 (7) | 24 (4) | 1 | 6 (3) |
Sources
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