Gattuso: ‘Lazio were very lucky, but I wouldn’t be here without trouble’

VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach of SS Lazio Gennaro Gattuso looks on during the Serie A match between Venezia FC and SS Lazio at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on September 19, 2026 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

Gennaro Gattuso admits Lazio were ‘very, very lucky’ in their 2-0 win away to Venezia, but after making club history, the coach reveals he ‘would never have come here if there wasn’t all this trouble.’

Enthusiasm around the Aquile was so limited going into the summer, especially with the ultras boycotting home games and crashing out of the Coppa Italia in the first round.

Yet they go into the break for international duty joint top of the table on 13 points with Roma and Inter, thanks to four victories and a 2-2 draw with Milan.

Christos Mandas was the hero this evening, saving a John Yeboah penalty and several big Venezia chances, before Mattia Zaccagni converted from the spot, with Tijjani Noslin’s towering header for 2-0.

“I can only thank my players, because we went out in the first round of the Coppa Italia, we had 50 days of extreme heat at Formello in pre-season, but we made a lot of changes and they gave me everything,” Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia.

“We were lucky today, as Venezia were so good in the first half and if they had been 2-0 up, we couldn’t have complained. Our approach was wrong, we did well after the break, and this is part of the process. We know that we have a lot to improve.

“These lads work very hard and it’s natural that if we want to do something important, then our first half performance won’t suffice. We were very, very lucky today.”

Lazio have been a real surprise this season, winning four of their five matches, and drawing 2-2 with Milan.

“The table doesn’t count for much right now. If we want to surprise people, we’ve got to do it properly. We were systematically six against two today, losing the ball and having to cover long distances to make up for it,” added Gattuso.

“Now I’ve given the players five days off, then we can resume with enthusiasm, the desire to improve our mentality and our progress.”

There are players who had been effectively shelved by Lazio, but revitalised so far this season, including Mandas, Rade Belahyane and Noslin.

Zaccagni had not scored in Serie A since November 2025, so went almost a full year without finding the net.

“When I see someone put the effort in, like Belahyane, who came to me the first few weeks to apologise that he was struggling. I told him don’t worry, step by step, you’ll get there. It is satisfying when I see players ready to learn.

“I’ve been through it, when I came to Milan, I had to watch and learn what the old guard did. I know it’s a different era now, we need to get into the hearts and minds of players, but they know a lot more than we did in my day. I’m pleased to help them, as long as they’re not slackers. I don’t get along with slackers.”

While many coaches have previously complained about the difficulties they dealt with at Lazio, including a transfer embargo and the fan boycott, Gattuso welcomed those challenges.

“I’ll be honest, if there wasn’t all this trouble, I would never have come to Lazio. I chose this. I was close two or three times before and always said no to President Lotito. I knew it was a mess, I knew the environment wasn’t ideal, but I chose this because I spoke to some of the players I knew from the Nazionale and I felt they were hungry.

“I knew this was somewhere with lads eager to work. We haven’t done anything yet, but we’re happy with what we’ve got so far. We’ve got 13 points, now we need another 27 to be comfortable.”

This is the best start in Lazio’s Serie A history, according to Opta, if calculating three points for a victory.

“When I take my grandchildren for a walk and it’s all behind me, I can think about what I achieved, but right now I have to keep going,” concluded Gattuso.