Gattuso: ‘Pressure isn’t on Lazio, I hope to achieve 1/4 of what Allegri did in his career’

Gennaro Gattuso admits that the loss of Mattia Zaccagni is a big blow for Lazio, but insists that the pressure is not on his side approaching their Serie A clash against Napoli this weekend.

Lazio sit alone at the top of the Serie A table with 28 points after the first 10 league matches of the 2026-27 season. They have dropped points just once so far in the league this season and are one of only two sides in the division who remain unbeaten.

Up next for the in-form Biancocelesti is an away trip to face one of Gattuso’s former clubs, Napoli, who have lost half of their competitive matches since Massimiliano Allegri took charge over the summer. Encouragingly for Lazio, they have won all five of their away matches in Serie A so far this season.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Gattuso insisted that there is far more pressure on the struggling Napoli than there is on the table-topping Lazio.

“It depends on how you look at it. We don’t have any pressure, especially tomorrow. We’re aware of the fact that we will go to play in a tough stadium against a strong team that is going through a difficult period. It will take humility and for us to be at our best,” said Gattuso (via TMW).

“We have to think game by game, there are 12 points left for us to get and once we’ve hit 40 points, we’ll have a big celebration for reaching our first goal.

“Our journey consists of hard work, we shouldn’t be reading into anything else. People are rightly congratulating us at the moment, but when that day comes, we will be back under it.”

Napoli are coming off a 4-1 hammering against Porto in the Champions League. Despite the scoreline, Gattuso feels that the Partenopei had a solid game for the first hour or so.

“We need to be aware of the first 70 minutes they played in Porto. They held their own in difficult circumstances. They also weren’t really able to make any changes. I expect my players to want to suffer and fight back blow for blow. We have nothing to lose.”

Sunday’s game will bring a reunion between Gattuso and Allegri

“Max was my captain in Serie B [with Perugia] and then my coach [with Milan]. History says that I’ve never won against him. I hope to achieve a quarter of what he’s achieved in his career. Knowing him, I know that he does not suffer from stress, in moments of difficulty he always finds the right things to do.

“It will be a final for us too, playing at the Maradona is always a special feeling. We will have to get there with the right spirit and mentality.”

Gattuso won the 2019-20 Coppa Italia title during his time as coach of Napoli.

“I had a great time in Napoli and won a trophy. For me, it was an honour to coach that club,” he recalled. “There are still several people who work there and whom I still have a relationship with. Incredible people who live life the way I want to. It was an honour and a privilege.”

As for the team news, Lazio will be without star attacker Mattia Zaccagni for several weeks following an injury to his thigh. There is a chance that Nuno Tavares returns against Napoli, though.

“Nuno trained today and we’ll evaluate him tomorrow. I won’t lie, I still have some doubts. The loss of our captain is a big one, we hope it will be less than six weeks. He’s been working twice a day for the last three days in the pool to get back to his best condition as soon as possible. We hope there will be positive updates.

“Gudmundsson will not go off on international duty. We’ll have a friendly next week and the goal is for him to play 35-40 minutes. Rovella and Marusic are with us tomorrow, we’re feeling good.”

There could be an opportunity in attack for Andrea Pinamonti in the absence of Zaccagni.

“We are showing our identity. Those who came off the bench last Sunday changed the game. It’s a shame to have lost Zaccagni, but we will have to be ready and prepared to play without him. Pinamonti is doing better now. He’s a player who helps you attack spaces. He and Noslin are different types of players, but he can lend us a big hand as well.”