Former Lazio player Bruno Giordano has called into question the technical quality of Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
The Nigeria international, who is set to kick off his first season as a full Lazio player following a first year spent on loan from Hatayspor, faces a challenge to convince new manager Maurizio Sarri.
The former Napoli, Chelse and Juventus manager is well known for his possession-heavy style in a 4-3-3, and it remains to be seen if Dele-Bashiru, a player who thrives when arriving late in the attacking third, fits into Sarri’s plans.
Where will Fisayo Dele-Bashiru play under Sarri?
Giordano, who made over 200 appearances for Lazio, ran the rule over the squad in a bid to nail down player’s potential usage under the returning manager.
On Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, he told Radio Laziale, “Sarri can work with Dele Bashiru, he can be a Mezzala. He's less technical but with his physical qualities it's worth a shot.”
The ‘mezzala’ role is the equivalent of the ‘box-to-box midfielder’ in English parlance, and denotes a player who plays in one of the wider midfield roles in a 4-3-3 or diamond, but had licence to venture forward and support attacks. While the role is not without technical requirements, it hinges a lot on athleticism, energy and ball-striking.
Under Sarri, this responsibility has been filled by a number of top-level midfielders, the most famous being Marek Hamsik.
The Slovakia international was highly influential, briefly becoming Napoli’s all-time highest goalscorer before he was overtaken by both Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne.
