Davide Frattesi has found his momentum again at Lazio, and the speed of his response has given this early part of the Serie A season a clear human thread. After a frustrating final campaign at Inter, the midfielder has scored three times in his first three league appearances for the Biancocelesti, with every goal proving decisive.
The decision
Frattesi addressed the question of whether he had remained at Inter for one season too many while away with the Italy squad. He did not offer a simple verdict. “It is easy to speak with hindsight,” he said, recognising that his situation has changed sharply since returning to Rome.
His final year in Milan brought limited appearances, no goals and, as the player himself acknowledged, too little continuity. Physical problems also interrupted his season. “The enthusiasm I have now began last year, when I did not get the consistency I had hoped for,” Frattesi explained. “I was not well either. I am happy that I have recovered the enjoyment I had as a child, and also at Sassuolo. I feel like a child again; I had not played four consecutive matches for ages.”
At Inter, competition and the demands of the midfield made a regular place difficult to secure. The sides coached first by Simone Inzaghi and then by Cristian Chivu were built around sustained possession, a context in which Frattesi was often more valuable from the bench, arriving into dangerous areas late in the game.
Nicolo Barella offered a different profile in the same role and remained difficult to dislodge. With Hakan Calhanoglu established at the base of midfield, Inter also had Piotr Zielinski and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as reliable options. Zielinski’s comfort in possession was particularly suited to that structure, while Mkhitaryan retained an important place in the previous season’s pecking order.
For a team producing strong results, there was little incentive to alter the established formula. Frattesi’s injuries and a gradual loss of momentum added to the problem. The separation was therefore shaped by more than one issue: fitness, competition, tactical preferences and the absence of a sustained role.
Lazio have offered the opposite. Frattesi has returned as a central figure, with responsibility and a position designed to bring out his runs into the penalty area. His immediate impact has come during an unsettled period for the club, whose supporters have voiced their dissatisfaction, whose Coppa Italia campaign ended at home in the first round against Serie B side Mantova, and whose financial position remains a concern.
Yet Frattesi has taken on the burden rather than shrinking from it. His revival is welcome news for Gennaro Gattuso and Gianluca Mancini as well, while Lazio have gained a player capable of turning a difficult moment into a more hopeful chapter.
