The veteran goalkeeper arrived in Lazio to serve as a worthy replacement between the posts but tonight (21:45) will find himself as a key figure in the battle for the City of Eternity
Reina
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The 2020/21 season has started for Lazio with high expectations.
Under Simona Inzaghi she has reached the opening opening round connected, enjoying continuity in the squad and with a ticket to the Champions League for the first time in 13 years.
Things quickly went awry when goalkeeper Thomas Starkosha turned from a safe stock into a declining stock, and the No. 1 jersey was handed over to the 38-year-old "elderly" Papa Reina.
The Spanish goalkeeper, whose debut in a senior team in the first division was in a Barcelona uniform in 2000 - the last year of Lazio's championship - jumped at the chance.
He knew that after two years in which he had only played five games for AC Milan, who preferred to loan him to Aston Villa, arriving in Rome was expected to include mainly training and sitting on the bench, and at most to serve as a mentor to the 25-year-old Starkosha.
In practice, he has found himself among the beams in 16 of 23 games this season.
Unfortunately for Lazio, Reina's resurrection did not turn out to be a success story.
He kept a clean sheet just three times and slipped with Lazio to eighth place, 12 points away from leaders Milan.
Criticisms were not long in coming, even from Inzaghi, who whipped him after a Champions League game: "I have not seen a single stop by Reina."
At the moment, it seems that Reina manages to keep his place in the 11th mainly because Starkosha is disappointing, incompetent, and also flirts with Premier League teams.
"When I joined Lazio I knew I would not play much, but Inzaghi was very clear with me," Reina shared, "there are long seasons and I, like the team, have to be prepared for any situation."
On the possibility of retiring soon, he said: "I have had a wonderful 20 years and I consider myself lucky. I know that one day I will understand that I have about six months left until the end of my career, and then I will have to give someone a hand. I will need psychological preparation for the day after, so right now I don't even want to think about retiring. "
Reina promised to do everything he could to justify his place as first-choice goalkeeper, and tonight (21:45) in Rome's big derby he has a chance to prove to everyone that he's an experienced goalkeeper, and not just an "old man" postponing the end.