Could Lazio's band of rejects be on the edge of glory?
Lazio look to be on pace to enjoy their best season in a few years this and currently find themselves fourth in Serie A although they have played a game less than the three clubs above them which could see them go second, just a single point behind leaders Napoli at the top of the league table.
Lazio haven't always been one of the big hitters in Serie A with just two of their trophies coming within the last twenty years and even then the majority of the clubs honours came over the years between 1997 and 2004 but they are currently having a season that looks to be their best since winning the Scudetto in 2000.
Lazio have endured a few mixed seasons since finishing 3rd in Serie A in 2015. They followed that up with an eighth-place finish in 2016 before finishing fifth and losing in the final of the Coppa Italia last season.
On paper, the club looked to be worse off this summer after the high profile departures of Keita Balde, Lucas Biglia and Wesley Hoedt but despite Lucas Leiva being the only addition to the side that has featured regularly in the team they have had some hugely improved performances from players who were already at the club.
Serbian midfielder, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic looks to be well on his way to a successful career and at just 22 years old he is already looking like a top-class performer in midfield. But as good as he has been, he has probably been the club's third best player behind two players who haven't always played at the level they have shown so far this season.
Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile have taken their game to a new level and they have been phenomenal so far this season. Alberto has scored three goals and assisted on five in Serie A this season and Immobile has scored 14 goals and set up six so far.
Alberto is clearly in the form of his career and has never performed anywhere near this level in first-team football until now. His best years came in the lower divisions of Spanish football with Sevilla B and Barcelona B and he has often struggled whilst playing for Sevilla, Liverpool and even last season at Lazio where he scored just once and set up two goals. This year he has found a rich vein of form and it has even led him to an international call-up with Spain.
Immobile has had a mixed career but it appears he is very much at his best in Serie A. He had a great year with Torino in 2013/14 when he managed to form an excellent partnership with Alessio Cerci and scored 22 Serie A goals. That season led to a move to Germany with Borussia Dortmund but things didn't work out well for him in the Bundesliga and he scored just three goals.
A loan move to Sevilla followed and again La Liga was a struggle and he notched just two goals for the Andalusians. He returned to Italy in 2016, initially on loan at Torino and he has managed to find his scoring boots again scoring 42 goals in just under two years since.
It remains to be seen how far Lazio can go this season but regardless of how things end up when the season draws to a close, they certainly look to be a club on the up with a good mix of young talent, experienced professionals and some players who look to be in the form of their lives which might just lead to a very special season for the Biancocelesti.