Gattuso Praises Lazio’s Spirit After Udinese Comeback

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The Laziali

·9 September 2026

Gattuso Praises Lazio’s Spirit After Udinese Comeback

Following Lazio’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium, head coach Gennaro Gattuso spoke to the press to dissect his side’s third consecutive Serie A victory, the squad’s tactical evolution, and the impact of debutant Albert Gudmundsson.

“I Knew We Had to Tear Everything Down”

Lazio arrived in Udine facing a stern test against a physical Udinese side. Despite going a goal down early in the second half, the Biancolecesti fought back through Davide Frattesi and Albert Gudmundsson to collect all three points and remain perfect at the top of the table. Gattuso began by praising the work ethic and mental fortitude of his players:

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I have to congratulate the boys. You concede a goal, maybe you lose 2-1, and then people say Gattuso is arrogant. That’s football. For the way we want to play, formations only matter to a certain point. The boys are doing significant things in terms of both quality and spirit. I have an important group, and I love the desire we put out on the pitch.

Reflecting on the work required to transition away from the tactical framework left behind by previous management, Gattuso explained why summer preparation required a complete mindset shift:

I am working a lot on the tactical level. Today’s youth generation uses their phones and scrolls a lot; they know a lot, and perhaps they should scroll a bit less. I’m working heavily on mentality. Last year, this team worked under a master of the 4-3-3 system. I intentionally chose lower-level summer friendlies because we weren’t ready – I knew we had to tear everything down and try to do something different. It hasn’t been easy, but so many of these players are giving everything, combining quality with sheer effort.

Isolating From External Pressure & Building Culture

Managing in the Italian capital always brings intense scrutiny and off-pitch noise, but Gattuso emphasized that the squad remains locked in on their daily routine:

Coaching Lazio isn’t easy, and coaching in Rome isn’t easy. You have to isolate yourself from everything we are going through – there’s no point in returning to it. The fans are consistent in their stance. Our only path forward is hard work. The important thing is believing strongly in what you do. Yesterday, we arrived at noon and trained on synthetic grass – nobody uttered a complaint, everyone had a smile on their face. You have to work like this to get inside the heads of today’s young players.

Praising Gudmundsson & Tactical Interpretation

The match was decided in the 89th minute when new arrival Albert Gudmundsson headed home a cross from central defender Danilho Doekhi. Gattuso highlighted the Icelandic international’s versatility and the desire shown across the squad:

Gudmundsson does whatever is needed – he does everything. He has only been with us for five or six days. I’ve tried him as a central striker, winger, and second striker. For what we want to execute, he is ideal as a second striker, but with his quality, he can play anywhere. Quality alone is useless in modern football unless it’s backed by hunger and work rate. The winning goal came from a central defender. Formations don’t matter – it’s all about how you interpret the game and whether you believe. Seeing Doekhi in the box at the 90th minute delivering a left-footed cross comes down to pure desire.

Gattuso also shared a humorous moment regarding his touchline celebrations and commended the officiating standards in Serie A this season:

I have to apologize to the team doctor; I was a bit too aggressive in my celebration after the goal! (laughs). But I also want to praise the referee and the league. Italian football needed to eliminate time-wasting, referee theatrics, and slow goal kicks. It is a great change for our game.