Looking at the minutes played by the Lazio squad this season, a clear hierarchy is starting to develop under Maurizio Sarri.
The Biancocelesti have looked strong since the start of the campaign, progressing well in Sarri’s second year in charge. Defensive stability has started to become a consistent feature and the attack often looks dangerous, although the last two Europa League outings show that further work is still needed as the team fight for a top four finish.
As highlighted by Corriere dello Sport (via LazioNews24), 11 Lazio players have played over 500 minutes across all competitions this season and 11 have played less than 500 minutes, showing which players Sarri is placing his trust in and which still need to convince further.
The 11 players who have featured consistently are Ivan Provedel (982), Ciro Immobile (930), Adam Marusic (879), Felipe Anderson (833), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (814), Danilo Cataldi (775), Mattia Zaccagni (727), Patric (696), Manuel Lazzari (604) and Luis Alberto (571).
The 11 players who have played less than 500 minutes are Elseid Hysaj (431), Matias Vecino (421), Pedro (322), Mario Gila (319), Toma Basic (157), Marcos Antonio (150), Nicolo Casale (147), Matteo Cancellieri (144), Stefan Radu (66), Luka Romero (14), Luis Maximiano (6).
Some of the lesser-used players, like Marcos Antonio, Cancellieri and Gila will be hoping to see more action in the coming weeks, whilst others like Casale and Maximiano may already be relegated to being rotation options.
That’s fine, they are either young or new. The season is still only about 25% in so there is plenty to go. Some of them will be called up to national teams as well. C’mon Lazio!