Lazio began the decade brightly by winning the Supercoppa Italiana and finishing in third place in the league, but the departure of manager Sven-Göran Eriksson accelerated the decline of the club. With money running out, or wasted on transfer flops such as the Spaniard Gaizka Mendieta for £28 million from Valencia, Lazio missed out on the all-important qualification for the UEFA Champions League in 2001–02, finishing in a disappointing sixth-place.