Gennaro Gattuso sees Lazio progress in the 2-1 victory over Parma, but refuses to talk about ambition sitting top of the Serie A table. ‘We frankly don’t really belong up there.’
The Biancocelesti have no intention of stopping their flight at the top of the table, and for at least a night are alone up there, waiting for Inter’s match against Fiorentina on Sunday.
It took until the second half to finally break through, after Christos Mandas made three big saves on dangerous Parma counter-attacks.
Kenneth Taylor ran onto a Reda Belahyane pass that ricocheted off Diego Carlos, then the same defender accidentally put the Nuno Tavares cross into his own net.
There was no clean sheet, as Simone Lontani’s cross bounced in off the inside of the far post during added time for the final 2-1 result.
Gattuso keeps Lazio humble
“I appreciated the mentality of the team. We got a bit worried with their counter-attacks in the first half and were naïve at times, but then we raised the tempo and took control of the situation,” Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia.
“The way this team trains, approaches the match, I can only be pleased. We improved in the last couple of games, we didn’t take our foot off the gas the way we did against Milan and Monza, so that is a step in the right direction.
“Every match has its difficulties, but the side is in good shape, we can hurt our opponents, but only if we play at the right tempo. If we play with a sluggish tempo, we’re not effective.”
This remains the best ever Lazio start to a Serie A season, amassing seven victories and a 2-2 draw against Milan.
With Roma held 3-3 by Napoli in a thriller earlier this evening, it means Lazio are now four points clear of their city rivals in third place.
“It depends on us, I feel at this moment we need to take it one game at a time,” continued Gattuso.
“We frankly don’t really belong up there, it’s not something that touches us, but we are still writing a nice page in the history books of this club. Every match, another 200-300 people enter the stadium, so we’ve got to keep going.
“I want to thank the Curva Nord, as they waited for the lads when we entered the gates of the Stadio Olimpico. We’ve got to keep our feet on the ground, keep going with this enthusiasm, and then see where we end up.”
The only negative is the continuing absence of the ultras from the Lazio home games, who gathered in the streets again earlier today to stage a protest against President Claudio Lotito and have refused to step into the Stadio Olimpico for months.
There is a midweek round coming up in Serie A, so Gattuso was asked if the lack of European commitments is a benefit for the Biancocelesti rather than a hindrance.
“It does give us some benefits, because we can work hard in training, then rest the players, a bit like they do in England. In the last three months, we’ve given 20 days off to the players.
“It’s because we can work with great intensity for two days, then give a full day off, they are refreshed then both physically and mentally. That’s what I call invisible recovery work, and it is certainly giving us an advantage.”
Lazio famously struggled over the last couple of seasons with financial fair play limitations, so have had to construct the squad with a very small budget.
With that in mind, why was Luca Pellegrini excluded from the squad list, then brought back in?
“He’ll be a free agent in a few months, so the club quite rightly made its decision to exclude both Pellegrini and Patric. I am the coach, if the club decides that, then I have to accept it,” replied Gattuso.
“Once the summer transfer session was over, we could add two more players and some names were mentioned, but honestly I said no because I know the atmosphere in the locker room.
“Patric was sold, Pellegrini remained, and as he was behaving well in training, we let him play some friendly matches. That is where the decision was made.
“We know his contract is running down, but as long as he behaves the right way, we should give him a chance. I spoke to the club, they agreed, and he is part of the squad for now.”