Baroni ‘proud’ of Lazio, but will not talk about controversial refereeing | OneFootball

Lazio coach Marco Baroni insisted he was ‘proud’ of his team’s performance in a 3-1 defeat to Parma and tried to steer the conversation away from controversial refereeing decisions.

The Aquile were on sparkling form after five consecutive Serie A victories, but already somewhat on edge following Thursday’s ill-tempered Europa League draw with Ludogorets.

“I am proud of my lads, as it was a difficult game on an emotional level too,” said Baroni in his press conference.

“We played with generosity and dedication, unfortunately we made some mistakes that cannot be repeated. I realise we were caught out on the counter for the third goal, because we were giving everything to equalise, but the first two goals were situations we got wrong playing out from the back.

“Nonetheless, the performance was convincing.”

Baroni and Lazio tension with referees

PARMA, ITALY – DECEMBER 01: Mattia Zaccagni of SS Lazio in action during the Serie A match between Parma and SS Lazio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on December 01, 2024 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

That European game had even more controversy, as the referee refused to award a pretty obvious penalty even after he was called to watch it again on the VAR monitor, which is only done when there is a clear and obvious error.

Lazio were frustrated by VAR again today, disallowing the early Nicolò Rovella goal for a soft foul in the build-up, then a penalty was revoked following the VAR review.

“I do not want to comment on the refereeing, otherwise we will never get out of it,” responded Baroni.

“We got too irritable in the first half and Parma did well to lead us down that path. After the break, we were more focused on what our football should be and it was a spectacular game, but the defeat above all hurts for our fans.

“I played many games as both a player and a coach, but I prefer to lose with a strong performance than without. We’ve just got to avoid certain mistakes and have more determination in our finishing when we have the chances.”

The opening Parma goal was particularly dire, as Rovella’s wayward back-pass was intercepted by Dennis Man to beat Ivan Provedel one-on-one.

“It is my responsibility, because I ask them to play out from the back,” insisted Baroni.

“I have a quality team, the mistakes came from Rovella, who is exceptional, and Gila, one of the strongest defenders out there.

“This playing style does involve taking risks, but it is what I want to see, as that’s better than just spraying passes up the pitch from 50 metres away. I would never ask that from this team.

“I’m glad of this spirit, then you can also lose matches, but you have to leave it all on the field, exhausted and aware that you’ve given everything.”