For the first time since the 1986 edition, Lazio won’t have a single representative at the FIFA World Cup.
The Background
While the World Cup fever is about to hit the planet, the enthusiasm will drive many to their luck in fantasy football, predictor games, and betting platforms. But for those who enjoy online gambling, they won’t find a platform that can offer terms and conditions better than those available at Casino Analyzer, especially when it comes to the free chip no deposit casino bonus.
Unfortunately for the Lazio players, they will be forced to watch the action from home, as none of them managed to earn a call-up.
Lazio Without a Single Player at the World Cup
As Il Messaggero points out, this is the first time that the club has failed to send a representative to the World Cup in 40 years. This has already ensued on seven previous editions, namely Uruguay 1930, Switzerland 1954, Chile 1962, England 1966, Mexico 1970, Spain 1982 and finally Mexico 1986.
On the contrary, Lazio was best represented in Brazil 2014, when seven players took part in the tournament. These were Andonio Candreva (Italy), Alvaro Gonzalez (Uruguay), Lucas Biglia (Argentina), Senad Lulić (Bosnia), Ogenyi Onazi (Nigeria), Miroslav Klose (Germany), and Helder Postiga (Portugal).
The Reasons Behind Lazio’s Absence
With 48 nations taking part in the biggest edition ever of the tournament, and each national team calling up 26 players, one would have expected a few Lazio players to be included. Nevertheless, this disappointing absence can be attributed to various reasons, including the following.
Italy’s Playoff Failures
For the third straight edition, Italy fell short in the World Cup playoffs. Had the Azzurri qualified for the tournament, we would have expected at least one Lazio player to be called up, especially Mattia Zaccagni and Nicolo Rovella.
The same applies to Nigeria and Denmark, as Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Gustav Isaksen would have certainly been included had their respective nations participated.
Lack of Quality in Lazio Squad
The current Lazio team is a far cry from its predecessors. We mentioned above the likes of Klose, Biglia, and Candreva, but the current side no longer hosts household names, as Claudio Lotito has been downsizing the project by selling key players and replacing them with cheaper alternatives, as was the case in January.
Lazio’s Forgettable Campaign
A few Lazio players were unfortunate enough to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. For instance, Mario Gila is arguably one of the best defenders in Serie A, but missed out on a spot with Spain. Kenneth Taylor also performed admirably since joining the club in January, but Ronald Koeman surprisingly preferred Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners.
While the tough competition for places certainly played a role, one could argue that these players were partially impeded by their club’s underwhelming results this season.
That should tell u the kind of players we signed…