Lazio Thriving under Marco Baroni Following Consecutive European Thrashing

It was four, but could’ve been more. Lazio recorded a second consecutive victory in the Europa League on Thursday evening, steamrolling over French side Nice.

Just like they had done to Dynamo Kiev in the 3-0 win the previous week, Lazio cut Nice to shreds time and again. Only some wasteful finishing and fine goalkeeping kept the score to four, but the Biancocelesti sit atop the table in the new Europa League format. Seven goals in two games and only one conceded.

As the heavens opened above the Eternal City, so did the Nice defence. Pedro, handed a rare start by Marco Baroni, scored a sublime goal with his left foot after a Lazio corner wasn’t properly dealt with. The Spaniard showed he still has the quality, even if the legs aren’t what they once were, and bent the ball into the opposite corner through a mass of bodies.

His strike partner for the evening, Valentin Castellanos, was at his best, scoring twice with equally beautiful finishes. The Argentine, on his 26th birthday, is quietly morphing into a proficient striker in his second season in Italy and already has five goals from seven in all competitions. His first goal showed extraordinary composure, latching on to Pedro’s through ball and chipping it delightfully over Nice stopper Marcin Bułka.

Following the game, Baroni praised the 37-year-old Pedro, stating the former Barcelona and Chelsea forward is an example to all the younger talent in the squad. “It’s enough just to look at him,” said Baroni. “He can play at the highest level for another two or three years.” 

Pedro, in return, also praised what Baroni has given to Lazio since arriving in the summer from Hellas Verona. “I really like Baroni’s style of play. It’s an attacking game. We see a lot of the ball and work between the lines. Even without the ball, we are much more aggressive than last season.”

Baroni has brought some much needed calm to Lazio this season after the chaos of last season. Claudio Lotito went through three managers in 2023-24 as he sacked Maurizio Sarri in March. Giovanni Martusciello took over rather briefly and Igor Tudor signed a one-year deal, only to walk away three months later when his transfer strategy didn’t agree with Lotito’s. 

In his place, the Lazio owner turned to Baroni, who’d guided Verona to 13th in Serie A and avoided the drama of potential relegation by a distance. Baroni has spent the majority of his coaching career in the lower leagues of the Italian game, bouncing between various Serie B roles. A member of Diego Maradona’s Napoli side that won the Scudetto in 1989-90, Baroni has managed the likes of Cremonese, Lecce, Novara, Reggina and Benevento before Verona took a punt on him a year ago. 

Baroni had secured both promotion with Lecce in 2022 and survival the following season. However a split occurred after a request for a longer contract extension was denied, so he left to take over at Verona.

His switch to Lazio represents the biggest role of his career to date, and Baroni had to deal with some big-name departures in the summer. After eight years and 207 goals, Ciro Immobile finally waved goodbye to the Italian capital. Immobile’s career in Serie A was winding down, with the 34-year-old’s goal tally diminishing significantly last season. His seven goals in Serie A represented the only time in eight years that the Euro 2020 winner failed to reach double figures, and the time was right to move on. Immobile joined Turkish side Besiktas and hasn’t lost his scoring touch, with six goals in as many games already.

Immobile aside, Lazio also lost big players in the shape of Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto who, along with Immobile, were big figures in the dressing room. Daichi Kamada also departed. Yet Lotito has always been one of the more canny presidents in Serie A and, along with trusted sporting director Igli Tare, brought in quality replacements for reasonable prices. 

Matteo Guendouzi’s deal was made permanent after impressing on loan last season from Marseille, while Boulaye Dia was signed from relegated Salernitana. The versatile Gaetano Castrovilli arrived on a free transfer from Fiorentina, and Tijani Noslin was brought in from Verona, no doubt at the request of Baroni.

Lazio have, compared to some of their rivals in the top seven, had an easier fixture list to start the campaign with. Wins against Venezia, Verona and Torino were expected, while losing to Udinese and Fiorentina weren’t on the cards. The 2-2 draw against Milan in Rome was viewed as a disappointing result, considering Lazio were winning 2-1 with only 20 minutes remaining and had been by far the better side.

Sitting seventh in Serie A, Lazio go into the weekend’s game with Empoli full of confidence. With the Tuscan side’s surprising start to the season, this is a game pitting sixth against seventh, with Empoli one place above Lazio in the table. Baroni will be expected to take all three points and continue Lazio’s strong start to the season.

And should Lazio win, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pedro and Castellanos play a major part in the victory. Two players helping Lazio climb the table and enjoying their football under Baroni.