Lazio manager Stefano Pioli says that he is confident that his team will be much better than last season.

Lazio were one of the surprise successes of last season after they managed to sneak into the Champions League place at the last moment. Finishing five points ahead of Fiorentina meant that Lazio will be given the opportunity to have a go at the Champions League group stages by taking part in the qualification rounds. Much of this success has to be attributed to the turnaround in fortunes towards the end of last season.

In terms of goal difference alone, Lazio were second in the table only behind Juventus, who finished as the champions of the league. This demonstrated the attacking instincts within this team andPioli is confident of improving it even more in the upcoming campaign. However, the manager will also be aware of the need to have a perfect balance between attack and defence. An improvement over last season will be to finish in the runners-up spot or even challenge for the title. The club has made some interesting signings during the summer with former Manchester United midfielder Ravel Morrison one of the high-profile aims to join the club on a free transfer.

“We certainly laid the foundations and showed we have the spirit and quality to be a top level squad. Our objective is to confirm we are competitive and prove to be an attacking and intelligent side. We’re a hard-working outfit and must become more consistent to stay at this level.We must improve from last term and go out with the mentality to always win the game. We must be active in every moment of the game, not sit back and suffer our opponents. The club knows what my needs are and those of the squad,” said Pioli.