September 26, 2021: Lazio Roma 3-2
Sarri wins the derby
Milinković-Savić, Pedro and Felipe Anderson struck as Lazio twice opened up a two-goal lead before surviving a late Roma assault
The season so far
The planning of the 2021-22 season practically started only a few days after the end of the previous one. Simone Inzaghi, Claudio Lotito and Igli Tare met in the evening of May 23 to discuss the manager’s contract renewal. By the very early hours of the 24th all was settled: Inzaghi would sign another contract with Lazio and was expected at the club headquarters the next morning. This is what he told his closest collaborators as well as a few players.
What was really happening? Apparently Inzaghi was buying time, faking a possible renewal with Lazio while at the same time negotiating a deal with Inter. On the morning of the 24th, Simone called Lotito to basically say “sorry, ain’t coming in this morning, gonna sign with Inter”. A shock for Lazio who really did not expect to lose Inzaghi. Apparently Inzaghi and Tare had even spoken about the summer transfers. Everything had been agreed. Lazio had to start from scratch.
Lotito at this point had to decide what to do. So he chose change, drastic change, both in mentality and professionalism: in came Maurizio Sarri. This meant moving from the Inzaghi classic 3-5-2 formation to 4-3-3, a BIG change.
Lazio had budget problems and could not invest too much on new players: in came Mattia Zaccagni, Pedro, Toma Basic, Elsied Hysaj, Luka Romero and the return of Felipe Anderson. Senad Lulic and Marco Parolo did not have their contract extended and Lazio also said goodbye to Joaquin Correa and Felipe Caicedo.
After five games Lazio were seventh. The had won the first two games against Empoli and Spezia, then lost in Milan and drawn with Cagliari at home and Torino away.
The match: Sunday, September 26, 2021, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
After just ten minutes Lazio were already leading. Ciro Immobile helped create the move before Felipe Anderson delivered a perfect cross from the right. Sergej Milinković-Savić had timed his run perfectly. The Serbian rose above the Roma defence and powered a header towards goal. Rui Patrício came out to challenge and almost decapitated the Sergent, but could do nothing to prevent the ball from finding the net. 1-0 to the Biancocelesti, although the Portuguese goalkeeper was lucky to escape with only a yellow card for his reckless challenge on Milinković-Savić.
In the 19th minute there was a collision between Nicolò Zaniolo and Elseid Hysaj inside the Lazio penalty area. Roma wanted a penalty, but referee Guida waved play on. The Biancocelesti immediately broke forward. Luis Alberto found Immobile, who carried the ball towards the Roma area before picking out Pedro. The Spaniard took his chance first time and his low shot flew beyond Rui Patrício. 2-0. A fantastic start for Maurizio Sarri's Lazio. With this goal Pedro became the third player, after Arne Selmosson and Aleksandar Kolarov, to score in the derby for both clubs.
Roma reacted and in the 26th minute Jordan Veretout sent a missile from outside the box, forcing Pepe Reina to fly across his goal and deflect the shot behind. From the resulting corner, Zaniolo rose higher than Hysaj at the far post, but his header crashed against the woodwork. In the 37th minute Henrikh Mkhitaryan made a mistake in midfield, allowing Felipe Anderson to move forward. He found Immobile inside the box, but the striker's shot hit the outside of the net. Roma finally got their reward four minutes before half-time. Veretout delivered a corner and Roger Ibañez rose above the defenders to head the ball into the net. 2-1.
A few minutes into the second half Luis Alberto won a free kick and sent the ball into the box. Milinković-Savić got his head to it and inadvertently turned it into an assist for Immobile, who was completely alone in front of Rui Patrício but slightly to the left. His attempted volley went wide. Roma were still threatening, but Lazio continued to find space on the counter-attack.
In the 63rd minute Luis Alberto sent a wonderful ball forward for Immobile, who raced towards the Roma penalty area. Once inside, he dummied, sent Gianluca Mancini the wrong way and waited for the arrival of Felipe Anderson. The Brazilian had the simplest of tasks, sweeping the ball into the empty net. 3-1.
Massive controversy five minutes later. Zaniolo fell in the penalty box like a ripe fruit while trying to shoot and the referee pointed to the spot. Behind him was Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro. Zaniolo may have hit him as he went to shoot, but it was totally casual and absolutely no penalty. Guida, perhaps looking to appease José Mourinho, gave Roma the spot kick, which Veretout converted. The match was suddenly open again.
Roma attacked in search of an equaliser. Mkhitaryan shot narrowly wide before Zaniolo forced a magnificent save from Reina, who threw himself across goal to keep out a powerful effort. Lazio survived the pressure and had chances to settle the derby once and for all. Immobile came close late on, but Rui Patrício parried his shot, while Reina saved again from Eldor Shomurodov as Roma made one final attempt to rescue the game.
They could not. Lazio had won the derby. Sarri had beaten Mourinho. Time to celebrate.
Who played for Lazio
Reina, Marusic, Luiz Felipe, Acerbi, Hysaj, Milinković-Savić, Leiva (61' Cataldi), Luis Alberto (66' Akpa Akpro), Felipe Anderson, Immobile (89' Muriqi), Pedro
Manager: Sarri
Who played for Roma
Rui Patrício, Karsdorp (82' Zalewski), Mancini, Ibañez, Viña (82' Smalling), Cristante, Veretout, Zaniolo (77' Carles Pérez), Mkhitaryan, El Shaarawy (64' Shomurodov), Abraham
Substitutes: Boer, Fuzato, Kumbulla, Calafiori, Bove, Darboe, Diawara, Borja Mayoral
Manager: Mourinho
Referee: Guida
Goals: 10' Milinković-Savić, 19' Pedro, 41' Ibañez, 63' Felipe Anderson, 68' Veretout (pen)
What happened next
The season started well but then became very inconsistent. Great wins (Inter, Roma), great collapses (Bologna, Verona, Napoli), completely incapable of finding any kind of happy medium. Whereas from an attacking point of view the team were doing well, they were terrible defensively, from the goalkeeper to the central defenders but the midfield was also to blame, unable to give sufficient cover. Some players adapted perfectly to the new system (Ciro Immobile was scoring more than ever, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was having his best season at Lazio), others were having problems (Luis Alberto, Francesco Acerbi, Luiz Felipe, Manuel Lazzari). But Sarri did warn everybody that the first season was going to be a transitional one, and that it was preparatory for 2022-23.
The Europa League Group stage was determined by an incredible howler by Thomas Strakosha which cost Lazio the match against Galatasaray. This undermined the rest of the tournament as Lazio arrived second in their group and had to play Porto in the playoff. Despite showing that potentially the Biancocelesti were the better team, they lost in Portugal 2-1 due to defensive errors and only managed to draw 2-2 at home.
In Coppa Italia, the Biancocelesti struggled at home against Udinese and only won in extra time. The quarter final, played a few days before the Bologna game, against Milan was a disaster with Lazio having another one of their black outs. They lost 4-0 and were eliminated.
In Serie A, Europa League qualification was ultimately secured thanks to a last-minute equaliser in Turin against Juventus and the draw at home in the final game against Verona also clinched 6th place.
The player with most appearances was Felipe Anderson (48) and the top goal scorer was obviously Immobile with 32 goals. He was the top scorer in Serie A for the fourth time, the first Italian player ever to achieve such a feat.
What happened in Serie A 2021-22
The previous season had seen Inter win the Scudetto, breaking Juventus' run of nine consecutive titles. After the first half of the campionato, Milan were top with a two-point lead over Inter. Juventus were third, a further two points behind. In the 22nd fixture Inter went top after the Rossoneri were surprisingly beaten at home by Spezia. Milan then lost the derby and Inter went clear at the top, winning the Scudetto with four games to spare. The Rossoneri finished second, with Napoli third and Juventus fourth.
In the summer transfer window Inter lost both their manager, Antonio Conte, who was replaced by Simone Inzaghi, and their centre-forward Romelu Lukaku, who left for Chelsea. Inzaghi had left Lazio not without controversy. Among the players signed were Edin Dzeko, Joaquin Correa and Hakan Çalhanoğlu. Juventus also changed their manager, bringing back Massimiliano Allegri to replace Andrea Pirlo. Cristiano Ronaldo left for Manchester United. There were managerial changes at Napoli, who appointed Luciano Spalletti, Lazio, who chose Maurizio Sarri, and Roma, whose new head coach was José Mourinho.
The usual suspects, Inter, Milan and Juve, were the favourites, but there was great curiosity about how Napoli, Roma and Lazio would do with their new managers.
August & September
Napoli started well, taking the lead and beating Juventus at home. Milan, who beat Lazio and drew with the Bianconeri, were second, with Inter third. Lazio won the Rome derby, while Juventus were already a little behind.
In August there was the play-off round of the new Conference League. Roma eliminated Trabzonspor 5-1 on aggregate and progressed to the group stage.
In the Champions League group stage, Milan lost 3-2 away to Liverpool and 2-1 at home to Atlético Madrid. Inter lost at home to Real Madrid and drew away to Shakhtar Donetsk. Atalanta drew 2-2 away to Villarreal and then beat Young Boys 1-0 at home. Juventus won 3-0 away to Malmö and then beat Chelsea 1-0 at home. In the Europa League, Napoli drew 2-2 away to Leicester City and lost 3-2 at home to Spartak Moscow. Lazio lost away to Galatasaray and beat Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0. In the Conference League, Roma beat CSKA Sofia at home and Zorya Luhansk away.
Napoli 18, Milan 16, Inter 14, Roma 12, Fiorentina 12, Lazio 11, Atalanta 11, Empoli 9, Torino 8, Juventus 8, Bologna 8, Sassuolo 7, Udinese 7, Verona 5, Sampdoria 5, Genoa 5, Spezia 4, Venezia 4, Cagliari 2, Salernitana 1
October
Juventus improved and won the derby, but they were still 13 points from the top, where Napoli and Milan were level. The Azzurri were held to a draw by Roma in the ninth fixture and lost their solitary lead. Inter remained third but lost some ground after losing to Lazio.
In the Champions League, Milan lost to Porto, compromising their chances of qualification. Inter beat Sheriff Tiraspol 3-1, Atalanta lost away to Manchester United despite being 2-0 up at half-time, and Juventus won in St Petersburg against Zenit. In the Europa League, Napoli beat Legia Warsaw 3-0 and Lazio drew 0-0 at home with Marseille. In the Conference League, Roma collapsed against Bodø/Glimt, losing 6-1 in Norway.
Napoli 28, Milan 28, Inter 21, Roma 19, Atalanta 18, Lazio 17, Juventus 15, Fiorentina 15, Sassuolo 14, Verona 12, Empoli 12, Bologna 12, Torino 11, Udinese 11, Sampdoria 9, Venezia 8, Spezia 8, Genoa 7, Salernitana 7, Cagliari 6
November
In the 12th fixture Milan drew the derby, while Napoli were held at home by Verona, so the two remained level at the top. They both lost the following game, Napoli in Florence and Milan at home to Inter, allowing the Nerazzurri to close the gap. In the final match of the month, Napoli crushed Lazio 4-0, while Milan lost at home to Sassuolo, giving the Azzurri a three-point lead. Behind them, the bottom four were already beginning to lose touch with safety.
Milan began their Champions League month with a home draw against Porto and then won away in Madrid against Atlético. They still had a chance of qualifying for the next stage, with four points, the same as Atlético, while Porto had five. Liverpool were already qualified after winning all their games. Inter beat both Sheriff Tiraspol away and Shakhtar Donetsk in Milan and would proceed to the next round. They could still top their group if they beat Real Madrid away in the last game. Atalanta drew 2-2 at home with Manchester United and 3-3 away with Young Boys. They were one point behind Villarreal and their final game was against them at home. A win would secure qualification for the knockout stage.
Juventus beat Zenit St Petersburg at home but collapsed 4-0 away to Chelsea. The two sides were level on points, but Juve needed to beat Malmö at home and hope Chelsea failed to win in St Petersburg to top the group. In the Europa League, Napoli beat Legia Warsaw away 4-1 but lost 2-1 to Spartak Moscow. Spartak and Napoli were level on ten points, with Leicester on eight. To top their group and avoid the play-off, Napoli needed to beat Leicester and hope Spartak did not win in Warsaw.
Lazio drew 2-2 away to Marseille and beat Lokomotiv Moscow 3-0 away. To top their group, they needed to beat Galatasaray at home in the final match. In the Conference League, Roma drew at home with Bodø/Glimt and beat Zorya Luhansk. They now needed to win away to CSKA Sofia and hope Bodø/Glimt did not beat Zorya Luhansk to top their group and avoid the play-off round.
Napoli 35, Milan 32, Inter 31, Atalanta 28, Roma 25, Fiorentina 21, Juventus 21, Lazio 21, Bologna 21, Verona 19, Empoli 19, Sassuolo 18, Torino 17, Udinese 15, Sampdoria 15, Venezia 15, Spezia 11, Genoa 10, Cagliari 8, Salernitana 8
December
In the 15th fixture Napoli drew and their lead was reduced to just one point. In the next match Milan and Inter won while the Azzurri lost, so the Rossoneri took the solitary lead. It lasted just one game, however, as Inter overtook their cousins. Napoli joined Milan in second place in the 18th fixture when they won at San Siro, but it was back to square one for the Neapolitans in the final game of the year when they surprisingly lost at home to Spezia, who moved up the table although they remained in the relegation zone. At the bottom, the gap between the last three and safety was now considerable.
Milan were eliminated from the Champions League after losing 2-1 at home to Liverpool and finished bottom of their group. Inter went through as runners-up after losing to Real Madrid. Atalanta lost at home to Villarreal 3-2 and dropped into the Europa League. Juventus finished first in their group after beating Malmö at home while Chelsea drew away to Zenit St Petersburg.
In the Europa League, Napoli beat Leicester and qualified second in their group, meaning they would be involved in the play-off. Lazio also qualified second after failing to beat Galatasaray in their final home game. Roma went through to the Round of 16 of the Conference League after winning away to CSKA Sofia while Bodø/Glimt drew with Zorya Luhansk.
Inter 46, Milan 42, Napoli 39, Atalanta 38, Juventus 34, Roma 32, Fiorentina 32, Lazio 31, Empoli 27, Bologna 27, Torino 25, Verona 24, Sassuolo 24, Udinese 20, Sampdoria 20, Venezia 17, Spezia 16, Genoa 11, Salernitana 11, Cagliari 10
January
Four games from the 20th fixture were postponed because of Covid, including Inter's match, allowing Milan to close the gap after beating Roma. In the 22nd fixture, however, Milan fell victim to Spezia, while Inter drew and Napoli won. The Azzurri then caught Milan 90 minutes later after the Rossoneri were held to a draw by Juventus.
The Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia was played this month. Sampdoria, Cagliari, Fiorentina, Venezia, Genoa, Udinese, Lecce and Empoli had qualified in the early rounds. Juventus, Sassuolo, Fiorentina, Atalanta, Milan, Lazio, Roma and Inter qualified for the quarter-finals.
Inter 53*, Napoli 49, Milan 49, Atalanta 43*, Juventus 42, Roma 38, Lazio 36, Fiorentina 36*, Verona 33, Torino 32*, Sassuolo 29, Empoli 29, Bologna 27*, Spezia 25, Udinese 21*, Sampdoria 20, Venezia 18*, Cagliari 17, Salernitana 14*, Genoa 13
* one game in hand
February
In the 24th fixture, Inter lost the derby and Napoli won away to Venezia, leaving the Nerazzurri just one point ahead of Milan and the Azzurri. The Scudetto was wide open again, particularly because Napoli were due to play Inter in the next round.
The match in Naples ended in a draw, while Milan beat Sampdoria to take the lead. Inter were in shock and lost their next game as well, while Milan and Napoli both drew. In the final match of the month, the Neapolitans won in Rome against Lazio while Milan drew. Napoli and the Rossoneri now had a two-point lead over Inter, who still had a game in hand. Behind them, things looked extremely complicated for Genoa and Salernitana in the relegation battle.
Juventus, Fiorentina, Milan and Inter qualified for the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia after eliminating Sassuolo, Atalanta, Lazio and Roma.
In the Champions League, Juventus drew away to Villarreal while Inter lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool. In the Europa League, Atalanta qualified for the Round of 16 after eliminating Olympiacos 5-1 on aggregate. Napoli and Lazio were eliminated after losing 5-3 and 4-2 on aggregate to Barcelona and Porto respectively.
Napoli 57, Milan 57, Inter 55*, Juventus 50, Atalanta 47*, Roma 44, Lazio 43, Fiorentina 42*, Verona 40, Sassuolo 36, Torino 33*, Bologna 32*, Empoli 31, Udinese 26*, Spezia 26, Sampdoria 26, Cagliari 25, Venezia 22*, Salernitana 18*, Genoa 17
* one game in hand
March
All change! Milan won in Naples and took the solitary lead, followed by the Azzurri. Inter were third after being held at home by Fiorentina, allowing the other two to move away. Roma won the derby and overtook Lazio. At the bottom, the last three had eight games left to reduce the gap.
Inter and Juventus were out of the Champions League. Juve collapsed 3-0 at home to Villarreal, while Inter won just 1-0 at Liverpool after having lost 2-0 at home. Atalanta qualified for the quarter-finals of the Europa League by beating Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 on aggregate. Roma qualified for the quarter-finals of the Conference League after beating Vitesse 2-1 on aggregate.
In the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Milan and Inter drew 0-0, while Juventus won away to Fiorentina.
Milan 66, Napoli 63, Inter 60*, Juventus 59, Atalanta 51*, Roma 51, Lazio 49, Fiorentina 47*, Sassuolo 43, Verona 42, Torino 35*, Bologna 33*, Empoli 33, Udinese 30*, Spezia 29, Sampdoria 29, Cagliari 25, Genoa 22, Venezia 22*, Salernitana 19*
* one game in hand
April
In the 31st fixture Milan drew at home with Bologna and Napoli reduced the gap, only to be beaten at home by Fiorentina in the next game. Milan drew again and Inter, by winning against Venezia, moved to within two points, with one game in hand. Napoli missed their chance by drawing at home with Roma and in the next match said goodbye to the Scudetto when they lost at Empoli. Inter played their game in hand in Bologna with the chance to go top, but they lost. Venezia were practically in Serie B.
In the Europa League, Atalanta were eliminated in the quarter-finals by RB Leipzig, losing 3-1 on aggregate. Roma qualified for the semi-finals of the Conference League after beating Bodø/Glimt 5-2 on aggregate. In the first leg of the semi-final they drew 1-1 away to Leicester City.
Juventus and Inter would play the Coppa Italia final after eliminating Fiorentina and Milan 3-0 on aggregate.
Milan 74, Inter 72, Napoli 67, Juventus 66, Roma 58, Lazio 56, Fiorentina 56, Atalanta 55, Verona 49, Sassuolo 46, Torino 44, Udinese 43, Bologna 42, Empoli 37, Spezia 33, Sampdoria 30, Cagliari 28, Genoa 25, Salernitana 25*, Venezia 22*
May
Milan won the last four games and the Scudetto was theirs. Inter threw it away by losing in Bologna. Napoli and Juventus qualified for the Champions League, Lazio and Roma for the Europa League, while Fiorentina would play in the Conference League.
In the fight for relegation, Salernitana beat Venezia in their game in hand, then failed to win at home against Cagliari or away at Empoli. They still managed to stay in Serie A, however, since Cagliari failed to win their final game in Venice. Genoa and the Lagooners also went down.
Roma reached the final of the Conference League after beating Leicester City 1-0 at home. In the final, played in Tirana, they beat Feyenoord 1-0 to win the first edition of the competition.
Inter won the Coppa Italia, beating Juventus 4-2 after extra time.
The top scorer was Ciro Immobile of Lazio, with 27 goals.
Coming up from Serie B were Lecce, Cremonese and Monza.
Milan 86, Inter 84, Napoli 79, Juventus 70, Lazio 64, Roma 63, Fiorentina 62, Atalanta 59, Verona 53, Torino 50, Sassuolo 50, Udinese 47, Bologna 46, Empoli 41, Spezia 36, Sampdoria 36, Salernitana 31, Cagliari 30, Genoa 28, Venezia 27
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