Lazio's low cost bid for success crumbles

By Paul Virgo

ROME (Reuters) - When Lazio faced Olympiakos Piraeus in an important Champions League tie in November, Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport published a photograph of their 2000-01 squad.

The aim was to inspire the players to emulate their predecessors, the last Lazio team to qualify from their group in Europe's premier club competition.

All the photo actually did was underline how far the Rome side have fallen.

Seven years ago, Lazio had Argentina's Hernan Crespo up front and his compatriot Juan Sebastian Veron in midfield alongside Pavel Nedved. Alessandro Nesta and Angelo Peruzzi, who went on to be members of Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning squad, led the defense and kept goal respectively.

The picks of today's side are Switzerland right back Valon Behrami, midfielder Stefano Mauri, forward Tommaso Rocchi and his Macedonian strike partner Goran Pandev -- good players but not exactly the leading lights of international football.

First-choice goalkeeper Marco Ballotta, meanwhile, celebrates his 44th birthday in April.

Lazio were beaten by Olympiakos, crashed out of the Champions League at the bottom of their group and are now just two points above the Serie A relegation zone.

Amid fan unrest, the fortunes of the 2000 Italian champions are sinking and taking President Claudio Lotito's brave bid to defy the economics of football down with them.