Nuno Tavares Is the Unexpected Creative Genius Orchestrating Lazio’s Serie A Surge

There was a moment on Thursday evening when you felt Nuno Tavares wasn’t going to leave the pitch. Given the form he is in, who could blame him for wanting to stick around.

On this occasion, however, he had no choice. The Portuguese full back had just laid on his eighth assist of the season, teeing up Pedro to put Lazio two goals to the good against Como, but his participation was ended early after being shown a second yellow card.

Visibly frustrated at the decision, it took a matter of moments for the player to be convinced to exit. His exasperation will only have increased as he watched his team-mates carve open their opponents as the evening wore on. He’ll be watching on from the sidelines too when Marco Baroni’s men visit Cagliari on Monday night – a chance to add to his incredible creative tally missed.

It is the first blemish in what has been a scintillating start to life in Italy for the former Arsenal defender. Allowed to leave the Emirates in the summer by Mikel Arteta for just £7million, the decision caught some off guard given the glimpses of potential shown in north London.

In Rome, that potential is beginning to be recognised. His latest performance, before it was cut short by a red card, underlined the impact he’s had in Italy.

His pace down the left flank was too much for the opposition to deal with, the 24-year-old bursting behind the backline with the ball at his feet, primed to pick out a team-mate in the middle.

On Thursday evening it was Pedro who proved the beneficiary, the Portugal international picking out the former Chelsea man with a low driven ball into the box which the forward had time to control and fire under Emil Audero.

As the evening wore on, Tavares become caught up in running battles with Gabriel Strefezza. Brought down heavily at the beginning of the second half, the Lazio defender enacted a bit of revenge with a challenge that deservedly earned him his first yellow. The second however, was harsh and the player’s reaction was understandable when it appeared he had slipped into contact with the Como winger.

It robs Lazio of arguably their most potent threat ahead of their next Serie A game. Tavares’ assist record is the best in Europe’s top five leagues this season – an eye-catching feat for someone deemed surplus to requirements in the Premier League this summer.

He started off in impressive style, setting up two on his debut against Milan, and has continued to build on that display ever since. The eight that he has laid on to date have come in just eight appearances. Only against Juventus and Verona has he failed to help his team find their way to goal.

His record is turning heads across Europe, and illustrates the switch in Italian football towards more attack-minded full backs, mirroring the trend across the continent’s other big leagues.

The best assist return for a defender in the history of Serie A is held by Pablo Armero. The former Colombia international spent three years with Udinese and laid on 10 goals in the 2011-12 season. It’s a record you get the impression is about to be blown at the water by Lazio’s left back.