Spalletti laments lack of hunger after Juve thumped by high-flying Lazio

(ANSA) - ROME, 19 OTT - Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti lamented his side's lack of hunger after their poor form continued on Sunday with a 3-0 defeat to surprise-package Lazio in Turin. Goals by Danish defender Oliver Provstgaard, his compatriot Gustav Isaksen and Nigeria midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru enabled the Rome side to keep pace with champions Inter, who won 3-1 at Bologna on Saturday, at the top of the table with 19 points from seven games in their best-ever start to the season. Juve, on the the other hand, are eighth with 11 points after winning only one of their last five Serie A games. "What matters is the tempo you set in a match, the energy and the heart you put into it," former Italy boss Luciano Spalletti said. "Tonight, we showed fragility, and that starts in the mind. "You end up chasing events rather than anticipating them. "What makes the difference is what you see and think ahead of time, because at this level everyone is technically gifted. "Tactical systems change nothing if there is no hunger, passion, courage or character... "We looked tired, because to some extent we were. Today, we took a step backwards". Lazio have made a strong start despite most of their fans boycotting their home games in protest at how Chairman Claudio Lotito is running the club and widespread initial scepticism about the appointment in the close season of coach Gennaro Gattuso, who failed to lead Italy to qualification for the 2026 World Cup in his previous job. Roma, meanwhile, remain two points behind the leading duo thanks to a 2-0 home win over third-from-bottom Genoa on Saturday. Milan are fourth with 15 points after beating Atalanta 3-2 at San Siro on Sunday, while Como are fifth with 14 after a 3-1 win at second-bottom Fiorentina. Another surprise package, Cagliari, can climb to 16 points and regain fourth place if they beat Monza away later on Monday. (ANSA).
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