Lazio once again finished a season behind bitter rivals Roma which is never acceptable to the blue half of the capital. However, the club has made massive strides this campaign under Stefano Pioli and actually ended up having a more positive season than their cross city neighbours upon deeper inspection. It didn't appear it would be that way at the start of the season when Pioli was handed the reigns. They were taking a gamble on a man who had always threatened to but had never been trusted with the reigns at a big club. It was a huge gamble considering he was dismissed by Bologna last year and they went on to get relegated. Indeed, the discontent amongst the fans was palpable especially with the departure of one of their best players, Hernanes, to potential rivals Inter Milan. Lazio themselves weren't that active in the market but brought in some very shrew signings such as Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij, who had a very solid debut season, and Filip Djordjevic, who provided much needed as well as quality back-up to the ageing but still effective Miroslav Klose. The German striker came off the back of winning the World Cup with Germany and becoming the highest scorer in the history of that tournament so it was always going to be difficult to ask him to consistently net for the side. Nevertheless, he still managed to finish as their top goalscorer. However, the real star of Pioli's team was Felipe Anderson who finally came of age this season and it was his sensational form that propelled the club into Champions League contention. That coupled with Pioli's bold tactics made Lazio one of the most watchable sides in Serie A this season. Despite all that, it was still questionable whether they'd make the top three going into the final day of the season where they travelled to face Napoli in a straight shoot-out for Champions League qualification. Lazio ended up winning 4-2 in a thriller to rubber stamp their place in the qualifying round of Europe's premier club competition ahead of a much more expensively assembled Neapolitan side. It's a remarkable achievement from Pioli who also guided the club to the Coppa Italia final where they were only narrowly ousted in extra-time by an all-conquering Juventus side. The question now is whether this was just a fluke or if Pioli can continue the incredible progression he has made this season.
