By Monsurah Olatunji
Lazio manager Marco Baroni has shown support for Nigerian international Fisayo Dele-Bashiru following his below-par performance in their 2-0 loss to AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in their Serie A title race.
Dele-Bashiru, who has been impressive for Lazio since joining on loan, struggled during the match and was substituted at halftime.
His performance was marked by a series of misplaced passes, an inability to create significant attacking opportunities, and regular possession losses.
The 23-year-old midfielder only managed one shot, made one key pass, and was dispossessed three times before being taken off.
However, Baroni refused to single out Dele-Bashiru for the loss and offered his full support for the player’s future performances.
“Dele is a guy we are building. The lower he starts, the better he works. This defeat was not his fault. Today, he lacked rhythm,” Baroni said, according to Radiosei.it.
Baroni’s comments reflect confidence in Dele-Bashiru’s ability to recover from this setback and continue his development with Lazio, despite the disappointing result.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
