Super Eagles: What Dele-Bashiru must do to get more Lazio game time

Super Eagles midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has already shown Lazio that he possesses the physical and attacking qualities to make an impact, but there are still areas he has to improve under Gennaro Gattuso, Afrik-Foot reports.

The 25-year-old started Lazio’s opening Serie A game of the 2026/27 season against Bologna, playing 53 minutes before being withdrawn with a thigh injury.

That setback came at an unfortunate time for Dele-Bashiru, who had made 24 Serie A appearances in the previous campaign, including 11 starts, and was becoming a useful rotation option for the Italian club.

He also started Lazio’s Coppa Italia meeting with Mantova before the injury, playing 70 minutes.

After returning to group training at the end of September, Dele-Bashiru is now working towards another opportunity to establish himself in Gattuso’s midfield, but comments from Lazio legend Bruno Giordano have highlighted the biggest area he must address.

Dele-Bashiru: How Super Eagles midfielder can improve

1. He must improve his tactical discipline

Giordano praised Dele-Bashiru’s physical and attacking qualities but questioned his tactical discipline.

“Dele-Bashiru? He’s a player who gives the impression of being dangerous. He’s undisciplined in the game, but he has physical and attacking skills,” the 70-year-old said in quotes revealed by Lazio news.

The Lazio legend also stressed that the Nigerian “still has a lot to learn tactically.”

That assessment is particularly relevant because of how Gattuso wants his Lazio midfield to operate.

Gattuso has largely built the team around a 4-3-3, with the structure changing significantly in possession. The full-backs can move into midfield while the deepest midfielder drops between the centre-backs, allowing one of the other midfielders to advance into more dangerous areas.

That system demands intelligent movement and positional awareness from the mezzalas.

Dele-Bashiru has the physical profile to thrive in that role, but he must show Gattuso that his attacking instincts will not come at the expense of the team’s structure.

For a defender whose strengths lie in pushing the ball higher up the pitch, he must now develop the situational awareness to learn when to wait and when to go. As little as that detail may seem, it is what midfielders like Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo, who thrived in Italy, applied.

2. He must turn his physical strengths into consistent end product

There is little doubt about what Dele-Bashiru can bring physically. His ability to carry the ball, attack space and compete in individual battles makes him different from some of Lazio’s other midfield options.

That was part of what made him useful last season, but his numbers also show why he has remained more of a rotation player than an undisputed starter.

He scored once and registered no assists in Serie A last season, while starting 11 of his 24 appearances.

For a midfielder with his attacking qualities, the next step is to make those attributes produce more goals, assists and decisive actions.

If Dele-Bashiru can combine his power and directness with better positioning and more consistent attacking output, Gattuso will have fewer reasons to view him merely as an option from the bench.

Dele-Bashiru’s latest injury has already cost him valuable time. He missed Nigeria’s September AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, while Lazio initially managed his return cautiously.

Gattuso confirmed that the midfielder was continuing his recovery and would return to group training the following week.

Lazio subsequently confirmed that Dele-Bashiru returned to full group training on September 30, meaning the Nigerian now has an opportunity to rebuild his fitness and fight his way back into Gattuso’s plans.

The challenge is clear. The former Manchester City midfielder does not need to abandon the physical and attacking qualities that make him dangerous. Instead, he needs to make those qualities work within Gattuso’s tactical demands.

If he can become more disciplined without losing his aggression and dynamism, Dele-Bashiru could turn himself from a useful Lazio rotation option into a much more regular presence in the starting XI.