Gattuso Refuses Lazio Fans Absence as Excuse, Hints at First-Team Promotions

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The Laziali

·05 de agosto de 2026

Gattuso Refuses Lazio Fans Absence as Excuse, Hints at First-Team Promotions

Lazio manager Gennaro Gattuso still sees a large room for improvement following the team’s performance against Ostiamare.

Lazio Beat Ostiamare 4-0 at Formello

The Biancocelesti hosted the Serie C club owned by Daniele De Rossi in a behind-closed-doors friendly held at Formello’s training centre. Gattuso’s men extended their perfect summer record by registering their fifth win in pre-season.

Vídeos OneFootball

Petar Ratkov was the ultimate star of the show, scoring twice in the first half, and then providing the assist for Mattia Zaccagni following his missed penalty kick. The captain then completed a brace himself by adding Lazio’s fourth goal.

Gennaro Gattuso Not Entirely Satisfied with Lazio Display

After the contest, Gattuso analyzed the action in his interview with the club’s social channels (via La Lazio Siamo Noi). The Calabrian coach argued that Wednesday’s performance was a downgrade on Sunday’s 2-1 away win over Ascoli, suggesting that all the hard work in the training camp is taking its toll on his players.

There’s always room for improvement. We trained this morning, and yesterday’s session was very demanding. We’re pleased with the team’s attitude, and you can see it in these matches as well. We still need to improve in many areas, especially when we don’t have the ball, but the willingness to work is there, and that’s very important. We performed better against Ascoli. The first half wasn’t great today, but that’s understandable because when you put together players who haven’t played much alongside each other, it’s not easy. That’s why I appreciate the team’s determination not to give up, because that’s fundamental. We’re on the right track.

Gattuso Refuses Lazio Excuses

Gattuso also urges the players to avoid making any excuses throughout the course of the season, even if they’re set to play their home fixtures at virtually empty Stadio Olimpico due to the ongoing fan protest against Lazio president Claudio Lotito.

I’m getting to know the players well, and they have great spirit. They’re eager to work, but of course we can’t look for excuses, whether it’s the absence of the fans or the pitch not being in the best condition at times. We have to stay focused. I said it on my first day: ‘We have to put our helmets on and get to work.’ We have to stay switched on because we want to play a high-pressing style of football.

Lazio Youngsters Set for Promotion?

The contest against Ostiamare saw Gattuso deploy several young players in the starting lineup, namely Ricardo Bordon, Bruno Galassi, Valerio Fercomeni, and Federico Serra. The manager hinted that some of these Lazio players could be included in his plans this season.

We gave 75 minutes to the group that played less against Ascoli. The young lads know how to play football. Naturally, it’s up to us to integrate them properly into the team, but they’re doing well. They’re young, and they need to make mistakes in order to grow. We’re happy with them and with the entire squad.