The Exigent Duality
An Ocean Apart, On the Same Track - 14:39 CST, 12/10/18 (Sniper)
The past eighteen months' parallels between Lazio and Vikings-- the two sports teams I support-- are almost bizarre. Consider the following:

  • Both teams have had inconsistent squad building, leading to great strengths-- Lazio's goal scoring, Vikings' defense-- to go along with crippling shortcomings: the former's inability to concentrate at the back, the latter's offensive line.

  • Despite the potentially fatal flaws, both teams greatly overachieved last season by maximising their strengths, with Immobile's 40-some goals leading to Europa League quarterfinals plus a fifth place finish, and Vikings making a run deep into the playoffs compliments of one of the best third down defenses of all time.

  • Both teams absolutely disintegrated two inches short of the finish line in a ten mile marathon: Lazio crushingly missed the Champions League spots, falling to pieces in the last ten minutes of the entire season; Vikings imploding in almost identical fashion one game away from the Big One.

  • Despite having practically the identical squads this season-- even upgraded in fact with players like Milan Badelj and Kirk Cousins-- and still somehow hanging around "in the hunt", both teams look like completely disjointed shadows of last year's versions, totally unable to beat good opponents, while padding their records against the bad teams.

  • Both sides have beloved coaches who have been around their respective games forever-- Simone Inzaghi, Mike Zimmer-- but whose honeymoon periods are beginning to end with the arrival of scrutiny and criticism.

What's next? For Lazio, they are still somehow levitating around the fourth position, and have the Europa League knockouts soon; for Vikings, they are floating around the last NFC wildcard spot, but really need a result against Seattle tonight.

Both teams' seasons are on the precipice, and given the amazing recent parallels, I wouldn't be surprised to see them both fall off the fence on the same side-- for better or worse!