Rino Gattuso’s early work at Lazio has created more than an encouraging start to the Serie A season. It has widened the squad. Players who had slipped to the edge of the project have been brought back into contention, leaving the coach with credible options across the pitch rather than a first XI followed by understudies.
The decision
Gattuso made full involvement of the squad a central part of his plan on arriving in Rome. No player was to be written off, and the opening five league rounds have suggested that the policy is paying off. Lazio now have competition for places in nearly every department, a useful safeguard for the long months ahead when injuries, suspensions and changing form can alter a season.
Christos Mandas has established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper and has been among Lazio’s stand-out performers in the opening weeks. The Greek keeper had gone a full year without appearances while linked to Lazio and Bournemouth, but Gattuso has restored him with conviction. Behind him, Edoardo Motta is not simply an emergency deputy: he was decisive in Lazio’s route to the Coppa Italia final last spring.
At full-back, Adam Marusic is close to returning on the right, where Manuel Floriani has handled his absence well despite the occasional mistake expected from a younger player. Manuel Lazzari remains another dependable option on that flank. On the left, Nuno Tavares has been revived under the new coach, although Alfonso Pedraza has also shown he can be relied upon after a positive pre-season. The Spaniard had been a regular at Villarreal and gives Lazio a genuine alternative rather than a compromise.
The centre-back positions may be the most open of all. Josip Sutalo and Victor Provstgaard appear to be the nominal leading pair, but Danilho Doekhi was starting before suffering a broken wrist, while Tiago Leite is considered close to the same level. Gattuso is expected to select among the four according to fitness and current form, with opportunities likely to be shared.
Midfield has offered perhaps the clearest proof of the coach’s approach. Nicolò Rovella’s injury initially looked capable of disturbing an area with firmly set priorities. Reda Belahyane has instead stepped in without making Lazio feel Rovella’s absence, allowing the Italian midfielder time to recover without pressure. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru had also made a strong case before his own injury and remains a serious alternative to Davide Frattesi.
Danilo Cataldi could add another layer once he has overcome his pubalgia problem. Belahyane’s form may permit the Roman midfielder to be used not only in the central role but also as a left-sided midfielder behind Taylor. In Gattuso’s stated 4-4-3 structure, one of the two midfielders becomes a playmaker in possession, a responsibility that could suit Cataldi well. Frattesi, Rovella and Taylor remain the preferred trio, one regarded among Serie A’s strongest for work rate and quality, but the depth behind them has changed the picture.
The attacking line has also been reordered. Gustav Isaksen, Andrea Pinamonti and Mattia Zaccagni were initially expected to lead the front three. Zaccagni has retained his place on the left and his captain’s role, but Matteo Cancellieri has moved ahead on the right while Tijjani Noslin is currently preferred through the middle. The supposed alternatives have earned starting shirts, at least until the original choices force their way back.
Albert Gudmundsson further increases the possibilities. He is more than cover for Zaccagni, and Gattuso has consistently found minutes for him in different roles. The coach has identified the Iceland international as a player capable of operating anywhere across the front three as well as in midfield. That versatility gives Lazio another solution in a squad that is beginning to look equipped for the demands of a full campaign.
