Lazio praise for Taylor impact and reassuring Gila update | OneFootball

Maurizio Sarri’s assistant manager Marco Ianni gives an injury update on Mario Gila and confirms Kenneth Taylor ‘just knows what to do on the pitch’ after Lazio beat Bologna 2-0.

The Aquile are truly on a roll now, as this was their third consecutive Serie A victory, allowing them to leapfrog Bologna into eighth place.

Kenneth Taylor was the unexpected hero, as he bagged both goals in the second half, after Edoardo Motta managed to parry the Riccardo Orsolini penalty on only his third career Serie A appearance.

Lazio have finally found some form

BOLOGNA, ITALY – MARCH 22: Kenneth Taylor of SS Lazio celebrates a opening goal during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and SS Lazio at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

Coach Sarri was forced to watch from the stands due to a touchline ban, so assistant Ianni was on the bench today and in the press room at the Stadio Dall’Ara.

“We wanted to give a sense of consistency to the last two victories, and it was another great performance against a strong opponent,” Ianni told DAZN Italia.

“It was the right approach, I saw character in an atmosphere that was fired up by the Europa League victory. Saving the penalty, where Motta did so well in that moment, gave us that extra boost we needed to go on and win the game.

“Overall, I think we did better at making the most of the incidents that went our way.”

There was bad news too, as Mario Gila limped off with muscular problems in the first half, adding to the absentee list that already includes Mattia Zaccagni, Ivan Provedel, Danilo Cataldi, Toma Basic, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot.

“Gila had been struggling with his knee for a while, we knew this might happen, because he’s been gritting his teeth for a few weeks now,” confirmed the Lazio assistant manager.

“He wanted to be there to help the team, hopefully it’s just an inflammation and we’ll have him back right after the break for international duty.”

BOLOGNA, ITALY – MARCH 22: Mario Gila of SS Lazio injured during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and SS Lazio at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

However, the substitutes did make a positive impact, including Boulaye Dia and Tijjani Noslin.

“It’s true, the substitutions did influence the game. Those who started weren’t doing badly, but the players who came on gave fresh energy and depth to the attack.

“Pedro was not in great shape physically, but he had a very good first half.”

BOLOGNA, ITALY – MARCH 22: Marco Ianni, Assistant Coach at Lazio looks on prior to the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and SS Lazio at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Although Lazio had limited transfer options in January, Taylor has been a great addition, thrown straight into the starting XI after arriving from Ajax and today scoring two goals.

“Taylor is a great player who comes from a very different league, but he settled in straight away,” continued Ianni.

“He’s one of those players who just knows what to do on the pitch. Off it too, he works really hard, has been studying Italian, and after two weeks could already understand quite a lot of our language.”