Inför derbyt: Motståndarkollen med Alasdair Mckenzie
Derby Della Capitale stundar på söndag. Vi börjar ta tempen med frilansjournalisten Alasdair Mckenzie som hjälper med motståndarkollen på våra ljusblå antagonister.
Han kommer från Skottland men är idag bosatt i Rom och rapporterar för FourFourTwo, Eurosport, Totalitalian Football, CNN med flera. Om Roma eller Lazio spelar hemmamatch befinner han sig ofta där. Alasdair är även Lazio supporter och hjälper oss reda ut motståndarkollen på de ljusblå.
Roma pre-partitan släpps senare.
(Intervjun gjordes tidigare i veckan och tar således inte hänsyn till Roma eller Lazios Europa League resultat)
Vilka förväntningar fanns på Lazio inför säsongen?
- Expectations were twofold, really. The hope was that after a tricky year of transition from Inzaghi's style of play to Sarri's, we would see the team looking more comfortable playing 'Sarriball' football. On top of that, a decent transfer window where the squad depth seemed to have improved raised hopes that a top-four push would be possible. Champions League qualification is generally the optimistic hope going into every season.
Har Lazio presterat bättre eller sämre sedan årsskiftet?
- It's been very hit and miss. Lazio, like the teams around them, have struggled badly with inconsistency. They started the year by picking up one point vs Lecce and Empoli and we thought the top four was gone, but everyone else has dropped points too. There have been some terrific results - beating Milan 4-0 and Napoli 1-0 the best examples - but also some poor ones, while repeated injuries to Immobile and a dip in form from Milinkovic-Savic have left the team really struggling to score goals and relying on a much-improved defence.
Vad är din relation till Derby Della Capitale och AS Roma?
- My first derby was in 2011, when Miro Klose scored a stoppage-time winner. Not a bad start! I've been to almost every derby since moving here in 2018 and it's always a fantastic occasion, although of course it's a very different experience when you go as a fan from when you go as a journalist. They have been very even and unpredictable contests in recent years, but the fact that they're competing for the same top-four goal and we've got the Sarri vs Mourinho narrative has added a great new dimension to what was already always an electric fixture.
Vad är största skillnaden mellan Roma och Lazio 2022/2023?
- The playing style is the obvious one. Lazio try to play a fluid, controlled 4-3-3, while Roma use a more reactive 3-4-2-1. However, I've been struck ahead of this derby by the similarities. Both teams are better defending than they are attacking - Lazio's defensive record has been superb this season - both teams have won big games and lost small ones recently, both teams rely on one player in attack (Immobile & Dybala), both teams have European away trips coming into this on Thursday...
Har det hänt några noterbara, vidskepliga händelser i Rom där du bor?
- Not particularly. It has already been dominating the front pages and conversations for a few days. I find people are terrified of the jinx - the last thing you want to do is make a bold prediction in your own team's favour!
Vad är den hetaste snackisen i Lazio-led före match?
- Sarri's comments from the weekend, saying that the Derby is more important than the Conference League. Lazio have to overturn a 2-1 defeat away to AZ if they are to progress in Europe and try to win European silverware, but Sarri's suggestion that the cup competition doesn't matter as much as a derby match - and therefore he will rotate the squad vs AZ - has caused a big debate. You can see where he's coming from given the top-four race, bragging rights and H2H record at stake, but the obvious difference is that Lazio's Euro campaign will be over if they lose - whereas they can still finish in the top four if the derby goes Roma's way.
Hur kommer Sarri formera elvan?
- He's not a hard man to predict, generally. I imagine he will drop Lazzari, as he tends to do in the big games in favour of the more conservative full-backs Marusic and Hysaj. Vecino is suspended, so Cataldi will start, and Anderson will deputise for Immobile assuming he's not fit. I would predict: Provedel; Marusic, Casale, Romagnoli, Hysaj; SMS, Cataldi, Alberto; Pedro, Anderson, Zaccagni
Vem kommer sluta högst i tabellen? (Roma eller Lazio)
- I told you it's bad luck to make bold predictions...! It's very hard to say. I was leaning towards Roma recently, just because their home form has been so good in 2023 and their defence looked unstoppable. Then the Sassuolo game happened! Both teams are prone to capitulations. It could come down to focus, too - if Sarri does chuck the Conference League on Thursday and Lazio are eliminated, that could give them an upper hand in the final stretch. Given how tight it is in this top-four race, Lazio's good results in big games this season could make a difference too - they currently have the head-to-head advantage over Inter, Roma and Milan so if they finish level on points with any of them, they come out on top. Unless the return fixtures go badly, of course.
Och slutligen, vad blir det för resultat och varför?
- I can see them cancelling each other out and drawing. I'll go for 1-1, because I refuse to predict a goalless draw for such a big game!
Tack till Alasdair! Följ han på Twitter HÄR
