[dukeofdavinci]

Lotito: No dogfight yet Thursday 6 December, 2007

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Lazio President Claudio Lotito is banning talk of survival, despite the Biancocelesti’s wretched start to the campaign.

After last season’s third-placed finish, it has been a shock to the system for the capital club to find themselves rooted in the bottom half.

There is a slight air of panic around the club after yesterday’s drubbing at the hands of Inter, but Lotito isn’t reaching for the panic button yet.

“You can only talk about the relegation battle at the end of the campaign – it’s too early at the moment,” the fiery patron stated.

“Last year we got off to a bad start and we turned it around, but maybe we aren’t the same Lazio that we were last season.

“It’s not that the squad has changed for the worse, in fact it is stronger from a technical point of view. We are just lacking consistency as we can go from brilliant performances like the one against Real Madrid to the lacklustre effort of yesterday.

“There has also been a disruptive climate, which has unbalanced the team and the club as a whole. We have suffered in a way that other clubs haven’t.”

Lazio have been blighted by injuries this term and have been forced to do without several key men for significant periods.

“We have, on average, seven injured men at any one time,” Lotito claimed. “You take seven players away from Roma and then see if they play the same football.

“80 per cent of the complaints are serious ones like meniscus and cruciate problems.”

Finally, Lotito took time to discuss the latest in Lazio’s attempt to sign talented young goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo.

“This story has been going on for a year and a half,” he groaned. “But we are negotiating and searching for a solution that suits both parties.

“According to our side, he has all the documents necessary to gain Italian citizenship, but the chance of signing him in January depends on how long the bureaucracy takes and it can be between three and 12 months.”

well there will be no dog fight but they are surely in a cat fight and losing fast or should i say sinking fast.