Lazio guide for FM15

Introduction

Lazio are one of those teams with the ambition to push for those champions league spots but seem to fall short every year. They bounce up and down the table every season and there's no real consistency in their final league position. They last qualified for the champions league in 06/07 and ever since then its been a bumpy ride.

There isn't too much history to Lazio in terms of trophies won. They have only won 2 league titles with the last coming in the 99/00 season. They have been a bit more successful in the Italian Cup in recent years winning the Trophy twice in the last 5 years and 6 times in total. They have no major European silverware to their name although they did win the European Cup Winners Cup back in 1999 along with the European Super Cup in the same season.

Finances & Budget

The starting budget isn't great with you only being allocated 5m for a top half finish and increasing your expectations isn't really worth it as you only gain an extra 1-2m and no extra wage budget. The wage budget is very low with only £200 to spare. The overall finances are not too bad however and if managed well you will see a significant rise in your transfer budget in seasons to come. The club does sit in a bit of debt with around 80m but like i said before if you manage your finances well that will clear in no time.

Strongest Tactics

4-2-3-1 Wide

This is the best tactic available and the one that I currently use in my Lazio save. Tight controlled link-up play with sweet short fluid passing. With this tactic you completely control the midfield, and the majority of the time, the game. Your inside forwards come in off the flanks and interchange wonderfully with your CAM and Centre Forward which I have set to a DLF Support. The two central midfielders will provide the cover with one set to a DLP Defend and the other a BBM. The BBM will like to push forward and chip in with a few goals here and there. The CAM is the heart of the team and will sit in the hole looking to thread through balls to the wide men and striker, he is set to an AP Support. The back line is a standard back four with the full backs set to WB Automatic so they can provide support and overlap. Set your team instructions to Short Passing, Retain Possession, Play out of defence, Work ball into box etc. It is a possession based tactic so you get the idea. Your also best to play narrow with a high line.

4-5-1 Wide

This tactic could also work very well with you having a lot of defensive midfielders at your disposal. I would suggest playing a more direct game if using this tactic and utilizing the pace of your wingers Candreva/Keita down the flanks whilst also getting them to get a lot of balls into the box for Klose who is a beast in the air. The key to this is like I said the wingers so counter attacking will be your main threat and playing wider to spread the game out.

First 11 Analysis

Goalkeepers
Marchetti and Berisha are both very competent keepers and should be very solid for the first few seasons. I personally chose Marchetti as my number one as he is less eccentric but there isn't too much difference in the pair.

Right Backs
Basta is definitely your strongest player in this position and there is also plenty of cover too with Konko, Cavanda and Pereirinho. The last 2 mentioned are probably not up to standard and you might want to look at selling them to increase your budget but you should alright for a couple of seasons with Basta.

Centre Half
There is a lot of options for the heart of your defence but the majority are below par and not up to standard. The best combination for me i found was De Vrij and Radu. They are both very solid players and will do well for you for many seasons. You also have Cana who is a decent player but is probably best used as back up. I would suggest keeping one more CB and flogging the rest as they are pretty poor quality.

Left Backs
This a position you may want to invest in but just for some cover. Lulic is a brilliant left back both defensively and offensively and is definitely first choice. Your backup left back is Radu which is his natural position but as i stated before he is best played as a CB so you might want to find some cover for Lulic.

Wingers
Candreva, Keita, Felipe Anderson and Ederson are your wide man and the first 3 mentioned are brilliant. Candreva and Keita will be the key to your success if used well. They posses the ability to beat a man with pace, find a player with a cheeky pass and put the ball in the back of the net. Candreva will want to leave for PSG at the end of the season however but you can get a nice sum of just under 40m for him so i think its worth it. Keita turns into one of the best wingers on the game and is brilliant from the start. In the second season though you will have to fight off interest from Barcelona. Ederson is a decent backup but he is on 40k a week and i would look to sell him and dip into the transfer market getting Adama Traore and Suso on loan are two options. Felipe Anderson is a great little prospect and is good backup and can also turn into a top player.

Central Midfielders
This is probably your strongest area as you have a lot of good options in this position. Biglia, Onazi, Parolo, Gonzalez and Ledesma are your options and from those 5 i would say the first 3 are your best. Biglia is the more defensive of the 3 and will sit in front of the defence and recycle possession. Parolo is best employed as a BBM, he is great at getting forward and he definitely knows where the back of the net is. Onazi has great potential and is already first team quality but with the small budget available i decided to cash in on him straight away.

Strikers
You definitely lack some quality in this area of the field with your first choice being Klose and he is 36. Your other option is Djordjevic who is fairly decent but he wont do the job and is probably worth selling to fund a better player.

Weaknesses

Your main weakness in this side is the striker for sure. Klose is decent for maybe one season but he is 36 and even still he isn't the best. The rest of the team is pretty solid but there's always room for improvement.
My recommended signings are: Adama Traore, Suso, Bonnazzoli, Kristoffer Ajer, Martin Odegaard, Lucas Romero, Fabio Borini

Youth Development

Lazio have great youth facilities in place but you may want to ask the board to improve them to get the most out of your youngsters. There is already a few gems in the Under 20's which is a bonus too.

Conclusion

Lazio is a fantastic team to be with all the foundations in place to push for those Champions league spots and eventually dethroning Juventus and making them one of Europe's powerhouses. One thing i will say is if you do well you will have to deal with becoming a 'selling team'. Your new players will have one good season and the big clubs will come calling. It can also be seen as a good thing though as you make substantial amounts of profit and helps improve the clubs finances.