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Goal Lazio: Has Mauro Zarate Been Forced To Shoulder Too Much Pressure As Lazio Look To Find The Path To Survival?
With ‘Maurito’s’ every move heavily scrutinised by the Italian capital’s sporting press, Goal.com’s Lazio expert asks whether 'El Pibe De Haedo' should be given more protection, at a time when his club need him most…
| Bet: | Returns: | Lazio £22.50 | Draw £32.00 | Atl. Madrid £29.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Lazio £22.50 | Draw £32.00 | Atl. Madrid £27.50 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Lazio £23.00 | Draw £32.50 | Atl. Madrid £27.50 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Lazio £22.50 | Draw £33.00 | Atl. Madrid £32.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Lazio £23.00 | Draw £32.00 | Atl. Madrid £28.00 |
|
Mar 5, 2010 2:45:00 PM
By Stefano Federici
As Lazio were held to a heartbreaking injury time draw against Fiorentina last Saturday, it proved to be a frustrating evening all round. With the fans boycott of the Olimpico the hot topic going into the encounter, all the talk post-match was on the exclusion of Mauro Zarate, who sat out a full 90 minutes on the Aquile bench for the first time in the Italian top flight.
Whilst many were still debating whether Stefano Mauri is capable of hitting a barn door following another trademark howler against the Viola, it wasn’t long before Zarate’s brother-manager Sergio started to wade in with his comments on the Argentine’s exclusion.
After declaring he would be flying in to discuss the position of coach Edy Reja with regards to the future plans for Zarate, it seemed another can of worms was ready to explode right at a time when the Biancocelesti are desperate for unity and calm.
Fortunately what followed ‘El Raton’s’ premature reaction was a far more educated response by the player himself, who reportedly made a pact with the coach according to Corriere dello Sport. With the tactician making it clear what he wants from the mercurial youngster for the remainder of the season, Zarate responded with a great display of diligence by showing up at Formello for some extra training sessions on Sunday and Monday (usually days off following a Serie A fixture).
As he prepares to make a return to the starting XI ahead of Sunday’s trip to Genoa, ‘The Zarate Kid’ then put in a generous display in front of the Formello crowd on Thursday afternoon. Delighting the spectators with a number of snaking runs, and a wonderful goal on 23 minutes, it was clear that the boy simply wants to get on and play football.
With the arrival of coach Davide Ballardini back in July coupled with his mega money transfer from Al-Sadd, the simple truth is that too much weight has been put on the young Argentine’s shoulders.
As Lazio started sliding down the table in early autumn, the former Aquile coach opted to throw all his money on the Biancocelesti’s star man. When Zarate began to drop deeper and deeper in search of the ball, it became clear such a tactic was only hindering Zarate’s quality and not utilising it to best effect.
What was to follow was an unproductive and unjust scrutinizing of the youngster's every defect. Many were quick to comment on his lack of goals and desire to dribble, but few underlined the widespread scoring problem at Lazio this season.
With the Biancocelesti possessing the second worst goal haul in the league, behind fellow strugglers Livorno; it is fair to say that Zarate like his fellow forwards has become a victim of a number of poor decisions which saw the Aquile deprive themselves of two pillars in Goran Pandev and Cristian Ledesma.
Now as coach Reja attempts to bring some solidity back to the fragile group morale, it is imperative that ‘El Pibe De Haedo’ is allowed to go about his business like the rest of the squad. As he gets set to make his reintroduction against Sampdoria on Sunday, many will be hoping ‘Maurito’ can find another magic moment against the Blucerchiati.
Having scored two wonder strikes against Doria last term, the Genoani are certainly one of his favoured opponents. Given the way he responded to a spell on the bench during Reja’s first game in charge of the Aquile, it is certain Zarate will be desperate to pull something out the bag for his coach and ease the pressure at the bottom of the standings.
Should the Argentine prove influential he will undoubtedly be lauded once again this weekend. What is more important, however, is that should the contrary happen, the youngster is finally offered some protection by the club, as he continues to struggle with his teammates in what is proving to be Lazio’s toughest campaign in decades.
Whilst many were still debating whether Stefano Mauri is capable of hitting a barn door following another trademark howler against the Viola, it wasn’t long before Zarate’s brother-manager Sergio started to wade in with his comments on the Argentine’s exclusion.
After declaring he would be flying in to discuss the position of coach Edy Reja with regards to the future plans for Zarate, it seemed another can of worms was ready to explode right at a time when the Biancocelesti are desperate for unity and calm.
Fortunately what followed ‘El Raton’s’ premature reaction was a far more educated response by the player himself, who reportedly made a pact with the coach according to Corriere dello Sport. With the tactician making it clear what he wants from the mercurial youngster for the remainder of the season, Zarate responded with a great display of diligence by showing up at Formello for some extra training sessions on Sunday and Monday (usually days off following a Serie A fixture).
As he prepares to make a return to the starting XI ahead of Sunday’s trip to Genoa, ‘The Zarate Kid’ then put in a generous display in front of the Formello crowd on Thursday afternoon. Delighting the spectators with a number of snaking runs, and a wonderful goal on 23 minutes, it was clear that the boy simply wants to get on and play football.
With the arrival of coach Davide Ballardini back in July coupled with his mega money transfer from Al-Sadd, the simple truth is that too much weight has been put on the young Argentine’s shoulders.
As Lazio started sliding down the table in early autumn, the former Aquile coach opted to throw all his money on the Biancocelesti’s star man. When Zarate began to drop deeper and deeper in search of the ball, it became clear such a tactic was only hindering Zarate’s quality and not utilising it to best effect.
What was to follow was an unproductive and unjust scrutinizing of the youngster's every defect. Many were quick to comment on his lack of goals and desire to dribble, but few underlined the widespread scoring problem at Lazio this season.
With the Biancocelesti possessing the second worst goal haul in the league, behind fellow strugglers Livorno; it is fair to say that Zarate like his fellow forwards has become a victim of a number of poor decisions which saw the Aquile deprive themselves of two pillars in Goran Pandev and Cristian Ledesma.
Now as coach Reja attempts to bring some solidity back to the fragile group morale, it is imperative that ‘El Pibe De Haedo’ is allowed to go about his business like the rest of the squad. As he gets set to make his reintroduction against Sampdoria on Sunday, many will be hoping ‘Maurito’ can find another magic moment against the Blucerchiati.
Having scored two wonder strikes against Doria last term, the Genoani are certainly one of his favoured opponents. Given the way he responded to a spell on the bench during Reja’s first game in charge of the Aquile, it is certain Zarate will be desperate to pull something out the bag for his coach and ease the pressure at the bottom of the standings.
Should the Argentine prove influential he will undoubtedly be lauded once again this weekend. What is more important, however, is that should the contrary happen, the youngster is finally offered some protection by the club, as he continues to struggle with his teammates in what is proving to be Lazio’s toughest campaign in decades.
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