Gennaro Gattuso spoke at his pre-match press conference on Saturday before Lazio’s away match against Napoli on Sunday. Lazio sit alone at the top of Serie A with 28 points from 10 league matches.
Gattuso on the pressure
Lazio have dropped points once in the league this season. Gattuso said: “It depends on how you look at it. We don’t have any pressure, especially tomorrow. We’re aware of the fact that we will go to play in a tough stadium against a strong team that is going through a difficult period. It will take humility and for us to be at our best.”
He added: “We have to think game by game, there are 12 points left for us to get and once we’ve hit 40 points, we’ll have a big celebration for reaching our first goal.”
Gattuso also said: “Our journey consists of hard work, we shouldn’t be reading into anything else. People are rightly congratulating us at the moment, but when that day comes, we will be back under it.”
Napoli and Allegri
Napoli have lost half of their competitive matches since Massimiliano Allegri took charge over the summer and are coming off a 4-1 Champions League defeat against Porto. Gattuso said: “We need to be aware of the first 70 minutes they played in Porto. They held their own in difficult circumstances. They also weren’t really able to make any changes. I expect my players to want to suffer and fight back blow for blow. We have nothing to lose.”
Sunday’s match will reunite Gattuso with Allegri. Gattuso said: “Max was my captain in Serie B [with Perugia] and then my coach [with Milan]. Knowing him, I know that he does not suffer from stress, in moments of difficulty he always finds the right things to do.”
He added: “We will have to get there with the right spirit and mentality.”
Gattuso’s Napoli memories
Gattuso won the 2019-20 Coppa Italia title during his time as coach of Napoli. He said: “I had a great time in Napoli and won a trophy. For me, it was an honour to coach that club.”
He added: “There are still several people who work there and whom I still have a relationship with. Incredible people who live life the way I want to. It was an honour and a privilege.”
Lazio team news
Mattia Zaccagni will be out for several weeks following a thigh injury. Gattuso said: “Nuno trained today and we’ll evaluate him tomorrow. I won’t lie, I still have some doubts. The loss of our captain is a big one, we hope it will be less than six weeks. He’s been working twice a day for the last three days in the pool to get back to his best condition as soon as possible. We hope there will be positive updates.”
On the other players, Gattuso said: “Gudmundsson will not go off on international duty. We’ll have a friendly next week and the goal is for him to play 35-40 minutes. Rovella and Marusic are with us tomorrow, we’re feeling good.”
He also said: “We are showing our identity. Those who came off the bench last Sunday changed the game. It’s a shame to have lost Zaccagni, but we will have to be ready and prepared to play without him. Pinamonti is doing better now. He’s a player who helps you attack spaces. He and Noslin are different types of players, but he can lend us a big hand as well.”
