After a fine debut season where he took them to a top 3 finish, Stefano Pioli would have hoped to have gained backing from the club in the summer transfer window in order to cope with the demands of potential Champions League football. Unfortunately, he didn't get it as Lazio's squad remained similar to last season. It set the tone and they were woefully exposed in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier at Bayer Leverkusen, failing to make it into the competition proper. That was the start of the malaise which developed at Lazio for the remainder of the season. A 4-0 away loss to Chievo was followed by a 5-0 humbling at Napoli which illustrated the Biancocelesti's troubles on the road. Despite that, they actually remained unbeaten at home in Serie A until the turn of the year. However, with protests from supporters and decreasing attendances, they soon began to struggle at Stadio Olimpico too. The Europa Leauge looked to potentially provide them with a saving grace as they qualified top of their group and reached the quarter-finals after a great win over Galatasaray. They faced unfancied Sparta Prague in the last eight and looked favourites to advance after a 1-1 draw in the first leg but they completely collapsed at home in the return game, losing 3-0 and putting paid to that potential silver lining. However, there was worse to come as another heavy defeat eventually cost Pioli his job. This time it was an unforgivable one as Lazio were beaten 4-1 by bitter rivals Roma and the manager was given his marching orders. Former player Simone Inzaghi came in to try to steady the ship but he offered a mixed bag too with four wins and four defeats from the final eight games of the season. It remains to be seen what his future will be at the club. There weren't many standout performers in this underperforming squad but Lucas Biglia remained a figure of consistency in midfield and never wilted under the extra responsibility of being named club captain this season.
