Lazio – Roma: Pellegrini’s Strike Seals Gasperini’s First Derby Win (0 – 1)

After a fiery pre-match press conference in which Gasperini publicly named all the players who were supposed to be sold in the summer but ultimately stayed, he surprisingly decided to field one of them: Lorenzo Pellegrini. The decision couldn’t have gone any better because Pellegrini, the former captain, scored the only goal of the match, in a derby full of tension.Tactical analysis and match report by Agostino Dosselli.

Lazio’s summer has been a complete disappointment, with the club banned from making any market moves due to financial irregularities in previous years. This has left the new manager, Maurizio Sarri, who returned after a year away from the spotlight, with a squad that doesn’t suit his footballing philosophy. As a result, the start of the season has been poor and disheartening, with the team winning only one match and delivering lackluster performances in defeats against sides that are not clearly superior.

The other side of the city has undergone a much-needed revolution following the disappointments of last season. After a shaky start that saw the team flirting with relegation and suffering defeats against weaker sides like Elfsborg in the Europa League, Claudio Ranieri was brought in to steady the ship. Now, Gasperini has been appointed to take the final step and restore the team’s competitiveness at the top level. However, last week they suffered an unexpected setback, losing to Torino in a dismal performance.

Mister Sarri continued to rely on his beloved 4-3-3 formation, which has brought him much success over the years. Ivan Provedel started in goal, with Mario Gila and Alessio Romagnoli as centre-backs, flanked by . . .