Editorial

Goal Lazio: Is It Time To Sack Lazio Coach Davide Ballardini?

With the Biancocelesti perilously close to the drop zone, Goal.com's Lazio expert Stefano Federici asks whether it’s time to take some evasive action...

Nov 5, 2009 12:30:54 PM

Photo Gallery

Zoom

Lazio medley

Teams

Lazio

Players

Davide Ballardini

With six of Italy’s top flight clubs already having changed coach just a quarter of the way into the Serie A campaign, it seems once again this could be a difficult year for tacticians on the peninsula.

As Lazio endure what has been one of their worst starts to a Serie A season in almost two decades, many critics in the capital have been asking whether it’s a case of not if but when coach Davide Ballardini will be dismissed from the Aquile bench.

As Napoli laud their new appointment Walter Mazzarri, following his swift transformation of the Partenopei since the dismissal of Roberto Donadoni, it is evident that drastic action can prove fruitful. Looking at how city rivals Roma have struggled, however, since the departure of Luciano Spalletti, it is clear a change in coach doesn’t always have the desired results.

Nevertheless, with the basis of the modern day game being a results business, it is only right that the Lazio faithful are starting to ask when president Claudio Lotito will call time on his underachieving coach.

Is Balla On His Last Dance?

Taking a closer look at the statistics, Lazio have two wins, five draws and four defeats to their name after the opening 11 rounds of the season. After starting in impressive form with back-to-back wins in late August, the Aquile have since nose-dived.

Following the 1-1 draw against bottom of the pile Siena last Sunday, Ballardini’s men notched up their ninth successive league game without a victory. To find the last time the Biancocelesti recorded such a negative record, we must go back as far as the 1990-91 season when Dino Zoff’s side stretched an incredible 12 games without recording maximum points.

Such a negative sting of results has now become an extreme cause for concern on the blue side of the Tiber, as the alarm bells of relegation form start to ring. Having avoided a brush with the drop zone for five seasons, it seems the club have now forgotten how to deal with such a delicate topic.

Whilst the Ravenna born tactician has been given a hard ride following the debacle of what was Lazio’s summer transfer campaign, there is no denying that some of Ballardini’s recent tactical decisions leave more than a little to be desired.

The Coach Wasn't Given What He Wished For

Looking closer at the recent defeats to Bari and Cagliari, there were a number of choices which didn’t go unnoticed by the city’s local sporting press who are still confused as to what Ballardini’s first choice system is after 17 games in charge.

In the 2-0 loss to the Galletti, Lazio began with five defenders in the starting XI and left the field with four attackers. If this sign of indecision wasn’t enough, the former Palermo coach also changed the Aquile’s formation a staggering four times over the course of the game. With tactical changes more accustomed to a teenager looking to overturn a similar deficit on Fifa 10, it seems Ballardini has added fuel to the Biancocelesti’s recent demise.

Whilst it could be argued the formation fiasco against Bari owed itself to the fact the coach was looking to overturn a first half reverse, what happened three days later against Cagliari was simply unforgivable.

Following the decision to force fan favourite Mauro Zarate to drop deep and sacrifice himself by man marking Rossoblu midfielder Daniele Conti, it seemed the home fans really had nothing more to dream for. With the last remaining piece of sparkle on the Lazio emblem having his wings clipped by an over cautious coach, it is alarming to think Ballardini was playing for damage limitation when Lazio hosted a side of Cagliari’s calibre.

Zarate Has Been Sacrificed Far Too Often

With a number of names linked to the Formello outfit over the last few days, it seems there is no shortage of potential candidates who would eagerly accept a call to lead the Aquilotti for the rest of the campaign.

Considering the comments of former defender Sinisa Mihajlovic who declared he would be honoured to take over at the helm, it remains to be seen whether club patron Lotito will bite the bullet and wave goodbye to Ballardini at such an early stage in the season.

With Lotito making his first and only sacking of a Lazio coach back in 2004, after kindly showing the door to the inept Mimmo Caso, it is clear the president prefers to wait until contract expiry dates before looking for a new leader. With the way the championship is shaping up to be extremely competitive this season, such a move could be disastrous for the Biancocelesti who need to take action before it’s too late.

As the winter transfer window is still just under two months away, it seems Lotito is playing a risky game in backing the coach while a number of Lazio’s competitors take evasive action to solve their own problems.

What are your views on this topic? Should Davide Ballardini be shown the door, or is Lotito justified in standing by his man. Goal.com wants to know what YOU think…

Stefano Federici, Goal.com

Thank you for your comment!

Please enter your name

Please enter your location

Please share your comment!