With 23 goals in 19 Serie A games, the striker has scored more on his own than seven of the division’s 20 teams

For Ciro Immobile, football is simple: either he scores, or he suffers. Speaking to Corriere della Sera in 2017, the Lazio striker insisted he would always do whatever a manager required of him. But when his interviewer asked if it hurt to finish a game without a goal, he replied honestly: “Yes. Without that I feel incomplete.”
It is an unfamiliar sensation these days. A hat-trick against Sampdoria on Saturday brought Immobile’s Serie A tally for this season to 23 goals in 19 appearances. He has netted more on his own than seven of the division’s 20 teams.