Gattuso Lauds Lazio Players, Reveals Midfielder Suffered Injury Setback
Lazio head coach Gennaro Gattuso expressed his satisfaction with the team’s progress this season after the friendly win over Arezzo.
Lazio Beat Arezzo in Friendly
The Biancocelesti hosted the Serie B club for a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Formello Training Centre. The team was without a plethora of players, including the eight who received international call-ups, and several injured players. Nevertheless, those who took the field still managed to overcome their Tuscan visitors.
Lazio 2-0 Arezzo: Pinamonti & Leite Score in Friendly Test
Andrea Pinamonti scored the opener just 23 seconds into the game, while Diogo Leite headed home the second 42 seconds after the half-time break. These early goals secured a 2-0 win for the Italian capital club.
Gennaro Gattuso Hails Lazio Mentality
In his post-match interview with Lazio Style Channel (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Gattuso applauded his players for taking the field with the right mentality, as they have always done since the start of the season.
We were short on numbers. We try everything; we were coming off two important days of work, and we did well. Desire and mentality must never be lacking — I have been insisting on this since day one. They have never been lacking, and I hope they never will be. If we are where we are, it is because there is desire.
Friendly matches are important; you can train as much as you want, but when there is a match, it is a match. Credit also to the lads who came on.
Gattuso Delighted With Centre-Back Options
In addition to scoring the second for Lazio, Leite was also solid at the back as he reunited with his former Union Berlin teammate Danilho Doekhi. Gattuso is thus grateful for the opportunity to choose between four reliable defenders (including Provstgaard and Sutalo).
Leite? I’m happy that you can see it on the pitch as well. We have four centre-backs who work seriously. They have very specific characteristics that I like. Humility and a desire to work. The desire and willingness they show in every training session is the most important thing, and it isn’t easy.
How to Deal With The Extended International Break
Gattuso admits the extended international break is causing a headache for club managers, so he felt the need to fill the gap with friendly games.
I experienced a long break at Valencia, when there was the World Cup in Qatar in December, and we were stopped for 35 days. It was strange, different, and you played friendly matches. But when you stop for 20 days, you can play friendlies, but the adrenaline drops.
We have to be good at not letting the momentum drop, which is why I gave them five days off. There was some concern today, but I wasn’t interested in the result. Yesterday we had a tough training session and I thought we could pay for it. It’s something strange; it has never happened that the national teams take the players away for 20 days.
Gattuso Pleased With Lazio Players
The 48-year-old believes Lazio players deserve all the credit for the superb start of the Serie A campaign, considering the Coppa Italia defeat an anomaly.
The compliments should go to the lads; these are not just words for the sake of it. The match against Mantova was also a surprise — the team had trained for 40 days in an incredible way. We saw first-hand that there is no middle ground; we have to insist on the mentality.
We have already paid the price, there are no half measures. This is also a team that comes in with a smile, accepts the hard work, and if we manage to stay on these tracks, we can give ourselves a tap on the back.
Danilo Cataldi Hurt Himself in Training
Finally, Gattuso explained why some of his players were missing today, including Danilo Cataldi, who had supposedly recovered from groin surgery. The manager revealed that the midfielder suffered a setback in training.
Cataldi had a problem with his quadriceps halfway through training. We will carry out an instrumental examination tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Dele-Bashiru is doing well; he is continuing to work and will return to the group next week.
Marusic has improved enormously, including from an instrumental point of view. The same goes for Rovella, for whom we have started introducing low-intensity running exercises.
