Rome and Lazio: the yin and yang of Roman football

Rome: ‘Capoccia del Pallone’ is a concept that the mind struggles to grasp. No, not just that of the experts, those who navigate the sea of predictions. Nor that of former footballers and managers who, hounded by TV, radio and newspapers, spout end-of-summer pronouncements, projected – lucky them – right through to late spring next year.

No, Rome, the ‘Capoccia del Pallone’, is the Yin and Yang of a city, of two teams, of something so incredibly distant that it inevitably becomes one and the same. Lazio and Roma up there, three plus three makes nine – it was something that seemed impossible only back in mid-August, when Gasperini filled the silences of the Giallorossi’s pre-season with the predictable ramblings on the transfer market. And when, especially at the Olimpico—deserted due to the feud between the Curva Nord (and others) and Lotito—Gattuso’s Lazietta, still reeling from their trip to Bosnia, were humiliated at the dawn of the Coppa Italia by a decisive 2–0 defeat at the hands of Mantova. In other times, it would have been a summer of shame for them; in an atmosphere verging on disengagement, amidst the August heatwave and general indifference, the defeat was quickly brushed aside. A godsend for Ringhio, the mortified manager: he channelled all his wounded pride into Formello, taking root – unusually so – within a footballing fabric made up of seemingly listless players, new faces plucked from a budget-conscious transfer market, consisting entirely of loan signings and free transfers. So, whilst on the other side the lingering buzz from last season’s brilliant finale was celebrating the Giallorossi’s flying start, over here the approach was one of ‘keeping a low profile’, ‘keeping our heads down and working hard’, and ‘we can’t be the team we were against Mantova’.

Two worlds at opposite ends of the spectrum converged in an unusual historic footballing encounter where, believe it or not, Inter – the overwhelming favourites – found themselves surrounded by teams hailing from within the Grande Raccordo Anulare. For many—and this is worth emphasising—this is a fleeting sporting convergence, the result of a twist of fate that has simultaneously brought the splendour of the Eternal City back to the fore, even in the world of football. After all, the differences between the ‘Yin’ of Trigoria and the ‘Yang’ of Formello (or swap the order, as you please) are vast. Not only from a structural point of view, but also – and above all – in terms of atmosphere. Because whilst securing a ticket at the Olimpico when Roma are playing is now becoming a status symbol – something to offer at sun-kissed dinner parties and display as a miracle, arousing unbridled envy – a Lazio ticket is shunned as if it were smeared with smallpox. Packed to the rafters when the Giallorossi are playing, deserted when the Biancocelesti take to the pitch – even the stadium itself seems taken aback, having seen it all in over seventy years of history. It sums up how everything, in this ‘Made in Rome’ start to the season, is unexpected and unpredictable.

A flurry of goals from Gasperini’s side, set against the individual and decisive flashes of brilliance from Davide Frattesi, one of those transfer market cases that defy corporate logic: Inter, who, in effect, gave him away, whilst he returned to his roots at a Lazio side known and loved on the pitches of Fidene, the neighbourhood in the far north of the capital, to become the symbol of this new league leaders – a team that, for many, is almost unknown. The challenge is simple: who, during those sweltering August days, wasted time analysing who Gattuso had at his disposal and how he might have managed a resurgence marred by controversy? Exactly. It is more useful to understand what Gasperini really wanted in order to aim ever higher, caught between the demands of the attacking winger and that ‘niet’ to the sale of Konè which sent shivers down the spines of the Friedkins – the generous yet somewhat distracted owners of the Giallorossi – ultimately making the Roma faithful fall in love with the grey-haired man from Grugliasco. In short, as you will have realised, the gap right from the start – as the great Cesare Maldini used to say – was vast. That is why people are now dusting off the record books and consulting various artificial intelligence systems: how long has it been since this happened? The two Roman sides up there together. But the statistical data does not do justice to this unique situation, which deserves closer study. Nothing could be further apart than Roma and Lazio, in terms of club structure, fan culture, future plans and seasonal ambitions. Yet the renewed enthusiasm at Lazio is bridging those vast gaps, upending the expected plans and reshuffling the cards in a season that was meant to celebrate Roma’s glory days and assess just how much longer the standoff between the fans and Lotito could continue. For now, even the politician-supporters who, with professional cynicism, had fired point-blank at the Forza Italia senator, have fallen silent. There are those who nudge one another and recall the proverbial stroke of luck enjoyed by the hated president; and those who, instead, watch in amazement at the umpteenth resurgence of a sports executive who is a one-of-a-kind figure on the global sporting scene. Lotito remains silent and is probably (indeed, certainly) revelling in it, whilst the Texans on the other side of the pond, aided by the time difference, are learning to enjoy ever more delicious and imaginative brunches. Even on the issue of the new stadium, the differences are vast: the one at Pietralata, on the eastern outskirts of the capital, is progressing with the proverbial slowness of Italian bureaucracy, but it is progressing nonetheless. Lazio, on the other hand, is struggling to envisage what – anywhere else in the world – would be the logical solution: reviving the beautiful, centrally located and utterly neglected Flaminio Stadium. Such are the contrasts between our very own Yin and Yang. Yet, at the start of this season, they have, surprisingly, become one and the same.