1997–98 S.S. Lazio season

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Lazio
1997–98 season
Chairman Italy Sergio Cragnotti
Manager Sweden Sven-Göran Eriksson
Serie A 7th
Coppa Italia Champions
UEFA Cup Runners-up
Top goalscorer Czech Republic Pavel Nedvěd (11)
Home colours
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

During the 1997–98 Italian football season, S.S. Lazio competed in the Italian Serie A.

Season summary

Lazio appointed a new coach in Sven-Göran Eriksson, snatching the Swede from an almost readied contract with Blackburn Rovers. Ex-Sampdoria man Eriksson brought playmaking secondary striker Roberto Mancini with him. In addition, he signed Vladimir Jugović and Alen Bokšić from Juventus, with Bokšić embarking on a second tenure at Lazio. Matias Almeyda also arrived at the club from Spanish side Sevilla, while wing-back Giuseppe Pancaro, signed from Cagliari, also proved to be a key player.

The new players managed to form an effective unit that was involved in the battle for the title until the 28th round, when they lost 1-0 at home to Juventus in a game that completely turned the tide for Lazio. The loss to Juventus had a detrimental effect on the team's form and led to a poor run of one point in six matches, dropping the team down to seventh. It was the club's worst league position for more than five years, but Eriksson was saved by the fact that the team had been seriously in the hunt for the scudetto for the first time, plus it reached the finals of both the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup. Lazio won the Coppa Italia, but stood no chance against Inter and on-song Ronaldo in the UEFA Cup final, eventually losing 3-0.

The 1997-98 season also saw the departure of club legend Giuseppe Signori, who failed to get on with Eriksson and was duly sold to Sampdoria as a long-overdue replacement for Mancini. Given the team's strong form at the time, his departure did not cause the same riots as had been the case when he was on the verge to be sold to Parma a few years earlier.

Lazio's best player during the season was arguably Pavel Nedvěd, the Czech winger scoring eleven goals and revelling in the confidence he got from Eriksson.

First-team squad

Squad at end of season[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Italy GK Luca Marchegiani
2 Italy DF Paolo Negro
3 Italy DF Giovanni Lopez
4 Italy MF Dario Marcolin
5 Italy DF Giuseppe Favalli
6 Argentina DF José Chamot
7 Italy MF Roberto Rambaudi
9 Italy FW Pierluigi Casiraghi
10 Italy FW Roberto Mancini
12 Italy GK Fernando Orsi
13 Italy DF Alessandro Nesta
14 Italy MF Diego Fuser
15 Italy DF Giuseppe Pancaro
No. Position Player
16 Australia MF Paul Okon
17 Switzerland DF Guerino Gottardi
18 Czech Republic MF Pavel Nedvěd
19 Croatia FW Alen Bokšić
20 Italy DF Alessandro Grandoni
21 Serbia and Montenegro MF Vladimir Jugović
22 Italy GK Marco Ballotta
23 Italy MF Giorgio Venturin
25 Argentina MF Matías Almeyda
26 Italy DF Mauro Di Lello
27 Italy MF Mirko Laurentini
28 Italy DF Maurizio Domizzi

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
8 Italy FW Renato Buso (on loan to Piacenza)
No. Position Player
11 Italy FW Giuseppe Signori (on loan to Sampdoria)

Results

Serie A

Top scorers

Serie A

References

  1. ↑ http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/italy/1997-1998/seriea/lazio.htm
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