Adam Marusic

Lazio have one of Europes best scouting networks which has led them to identify a number of virtually unknown players to go on and thrive in Serie A. Sporting director Igli Tare has stated that its a network based on trusted relationships and no extended system which has served Lazio so well over the years. Successes include Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto and stalwarts like Stefan Radu and Senad Lulic who was both picked up on the cheap. The latest success is the 25-year-old Montenegrin wing-back Adam Marusic. Marusic was signed from Oostende in Belgium last summer and has been fantastic this season and quickly established himself as one of Italys best wing-backs. Lets take a closer look at the latest jewel discovered by Tare and his crew.

Background

Adam Marusic was born in Belgrade in 1992, in the midst of the long and devastating Yugoslav Wars. After starting his career at Teleoptik, he rose through the ranks at Vozdovac and made his first-team debut in 2010. After 89 Serbian SuperLiga games for the club, Marusic was sold to Belgian club Kortrijk in 2014. Marusic quickly established himself in Belgium and became a mainstay of the Kortrijk team. After 71 league appearances over two seasons for Kortrijk, he made the move to Oostende. He only stayed at Oostende for one season, making 35 league appearances and scoring five goals before Lazio snapped him up last summer. He mainly played as a winger on either side in Belgium but also had spells at full-back. At Lazio, hes therefore been used as a wing-back. Marusic rise has continued in Italy with the Montenegrin making 27 starts in Serie A so far and 31 in all competitions. Hes scored three goals and made six assists from his position as Lazios right wing-back.

Lazios right wing-back

In Simone Inzaghis 3-5-1-1 formation, Marusic plays as the right-sided wing-back. In defense he drops back to make it a back-five while in attack he pushes forward and provides maximum width for the team. Its from this position the Montenegrin has become such a threat going forward with effective wing-play. Ive highlighted Marusic below to show the attacking position he takes up in Lazios setup.

Marusic wide threat

Theres no doubt that Adam Marusic strength lies in his attacking play. As youd imagine from a former out-and-out winger, the Montenegrin is good in dribbling situations and has very good delivery from wide areas. In Serie A this season, Marusic averages 0.9 dribbles per game which isnt as high as you might imagine and he averages 1.2 key passes per game. One reason for his somewhat low dribbling stats, given his quality in these situations, is the quality of his delivery from wide areas. He doesnt need to dribble his way past an opponent. Instead, he can cross or cut the ball back for a teammate without going past his opponent. In the image below, he bends a beautiful cross into the back post for his teammates to attack.

And in the below scene, Marusic plays a low cross into the path of Luis Alberto who steeres the ball in from c