Empoli 0-1 Lazio: Three Things We Learned – Baroni Abandons His Philosophy | OneFootball

In Sunday’s early Serie A kickoff, Lazio collected three routine yet vital points in their away clash against Empoli.

Boulaye Dia struck early to give the visitors the lead, and they managed to maintain it for the rest of the contest which witnessed two red cards: Empoli striker Lorenzo Colomb was sent off late in the first period, while Lazio’s Elseid Hysaj followed suit in the second period.

So here are three takeaways from the Aquile’s vital victory which put them on par with Juventus and Roma in fourth place.

Marco Baroni Making Compromises

At the start of the season, Marco Baroni introduced himself as an uncompromising tactician who wants to dominate the pitch and suffocate his opponents with his non-stop attacking forays.

But after fielding Adam Marusic as a right winger for the second away trip in a row, one has to wonder if the coach has decided to set his philosophy aside and adopt a more pragmatic approach, especially at this decisive stage of the season.

Even when Lazio had the numerical advantage following Colombo’s dismissal, the team hardly created a chance, as the players and their manager seemed to be satisfied with the slim lead.

Perhaps the 61-year-old is feeling the pressure after all.

Summer Firesale?

Speaking of Baroni’s choices, Tijjani Noslin, Loum Tchaouna, Fisayo Dele-Bashiry, Reda Belahyane and Arijon Ibrahimovic spent the entire match in the dugout despite being perfectly healthy and eligible to play.

This could suggest that the manager doesn’t truly trust these young players who have lacked consistency this season. Hence, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some of them heading towards the exit door in the summer.

Lazio Need Cooler Heads

With only a few weeks separating us from the season finale, Baroni’s decision to resort to experience over youth is understandable, but perhaps Hysaj’s silly red card made him revise his choices.

It is one thing when a 20-year-old like Belahyane commits a costly blunder and gets himself sent off, but when a veteran of 308 Serie A appearances puts the team in trouble for two needless bookings, then perhaps the whole team is lacking serenity at this crucial moment.

Unfortunately for the Biancocelesti, they have seemingly run out of steam on the physical level, as evidenced by their recent displays, but losing their mental edge would be a deadly blow for their Champions League hopes, especially ahead of two major showdowns against Juventus and Inter Milan.