Lazio just slammed Monza 3-1 on Sunday, vaulting them to joint-top of the Serie A table with a sizzling 16 points after six matches, matching reigning champions Inter. But don’t let the score fool you, coach Gennaro Gattuso is absolutely fuming with his squad’s second-half performance, saying it felt like a total replay of their recent collapse against Milan.
A Win Is a Win, But at What Cost?
The win over Monza was solid on paper, with Nuno Tavares, Gustav Isaksen, and Andera Pinamonti all finding the net in an empty Stadio Olimpico. This puts Lazio in an incredibly strong position early in the 2026-27 Serie A season, boasting five victories and just one draw from their first six outings. They’re literally sharing the top spot with the champs. You’d think a coach would be over the moon, right? Not Gattuso. He was happy with the first half, when they grabbed a comfortable 2-0 lead, but things went sideways fast after the break.
Gattuso Rips Second Half: ‘Not the First Time’
This isn’t just about one shaky half for Gattuso. He publicly accused his players of trying to coast, trying to “manage the game” from 2-0 up, and he absolutely hated it. He laid into them after the match, telling DAZN, “We can’t afford to play like that in the second half. It’s not the first time that this has happened.” That’s a brutal indictment. He specifically called back to their recent 2-2 draw against Milan, a game where they also held a 2-0 lead in the first half, only to blow it with a poor second-half showing. “It felt like we were watching the second half against Milan again,” he vented. “I congratulated the boys for the first half, but after that, the concepts were wrong.” He hammered them for being “non-existent for the first 25 minutes of the second half” and for failing on “second balls.”
Mentality and Attitude on Trial
For Gattuso, it’s not about the physical effort, it’s all in their heads. “It’s a matter of mentality and attitude,” he insisted. He pointed to players like Romano and Belahyane “always getting crushed” on second balls, arguing that if you don’t fight for those, you just end up running more and making meaningless passes, which puts you in difficulty. “We were good in the first half, but of course we’re going to make mistakes if we start trying to manage the game from 2-0 up. We have to improve on that.” So, even though they’re sitting pretty at the top of the standings with 16 points, Gattuso isn’t letting them off the hook. He’s pushing for daily improvement, emphasizing, “We have to take things day by day.” Looks like Lazio has some serious soul-searching to do, even as they enjoy the view from the top.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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