Lazio’s brief spell alone at the top of Serie A may have lasted only 48 hours, from 8pm on Saturday until the same time on Monday, but it has already altered the tone around Formello. A side many had placed between ninth and 12th before the season — with harsher predictions even pointing towards the relegation fight — has instead opened the campaign with a force and conviction that demand attention.
Lazio’s unexpected place at the summit
The supporters were not at the Olimpico, yet the club’s rise was keenly felt. Lazio had not stood alone in first place since 29 February 2020, when Simone Inzaghi’s team beat Bologna 2-0 in the 26th round through Luis Alberto and Joaquin Correa.
Manuel Lazzari is the only member of that squad still at Formello. Inzaghi will remember the moment too, even if his Lazio at that time belonged to a markedly different era in terms of individual talent and expectation.
- In 2019-20, Lazio were involved in the title race with Inter and Juventus.
- That earlier ascent was also helped by the postponement of Inter-Juventus.
- Inzaghi’s side put together a 21-match unbeaten league sequence and won 11 in a row.
- Ciro Immobile led the scoring charts and won the European Golden Shoe with 36 goals, matching a total previously reached by Gonzalo Higuain.
- Before the season was interrupted, Lazio had lost only once: against Inter in the fifth round.
That campaign was then broken apart by Covid-19. Matches initially continued without supporters before the league stopped for almost four months. Lazio returned on 24 June in Bergamo, raced into a 2-0 lead after 11 minutes, and still lost 3-2 to Atalanta. Further defeats at Lecce, Genoa and at home to Sassuolo followed, leaving them fourth.
A different Lazio, but a familiar warning
The parallel with 2020 is one of circumstances rather than footballing identity. The earlier side contained established figures such as Luis Alberto, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Immobile. This Lazio do not have the same collection of headline names, but they have shown a hard competitive edge and an appetite more commonly associated with the Premier League than the usual Italian stereotype.
That edge, however, is not the whole story. Reducing the side to the personality of Rino Gattuso would overlook what they produced against Milan in the fourth matchday.
The first half against Milan
Lazio’s opening 45 minutes were controlled, quick and ambitious. Their football was fluid and carefully constructed, producing two goals that could have become four. Mandas was not placed under serious pressure, and the match appeared firmly in Lazio’s hands.
The second half told a different story. Milan improved, aided by effective substitutions, but that alone did not explain the scale of the shift. Lazio returned with less of the intensity and energy that had driven their first-half display. It was not necessarily complacency, but the emotional level fell noticeably.
Gattuso’s next task: make the performance last
Gattuso has already changed the standing of several players within the group. He has helped Nuno Tavares regain a European-level dimension, restored Belahyane’s confidence and value as a footballer, and given the young Floriani both permission and legitimacy to belong in Serie A. He has also sought to stir Davide Frattesi through an appeal to personal feeling and attachment.
- The coach has shown that he can work on mentality as well as physical preparation.
- Lazio’s strongest football has been built on energy, speed and collective conviction.
- The immediate challenge is to extend the Milan first-half level across the full 90 minutes.
- Talk of guaranteeing European qualification remains premature at this stage of the season.
For now, Lazio do not need extravagant promises. Their unexpected place at the summit has offered evidence that this group can disrupt the assumptions made about them. The next chapter will be written in whether Gattuso can turn one irresistible half into a habit, rather than allowing another promising Lazio season to be judged by what might have been.
SEO Title: Lazio’s Early Serie A Rise Gives Gattuso a New Test
SEO Description: Lazio’s 48 hours alone at the top recalled the club’s 2020 title challenge, while Rino Gattuso now seeks to turn an excellent half against Milan into sustained Serie A authority.
