How Gattuso rediscovered himself and Lazio

Six months ago, those endless walks along Playa de la Fontanilla, west of Marbella. Alone, amidst the sand, palm trees and grand hotels. Mulling over an aspect of his life that seemed like a postulate – the sort that needs no proof. “As a footballer, I was lucky and won everything. But as a manager…”. The phrase repeating in his head implied a predetermined path, set in stone during that early spring on the Costa del Sol. Thirteen years as a manager with few rewards and then, at the zenith of his career, that unforgettable night in Zenica. “A pain and a disappointment that I will carry with me forever”.

A failed World Cup, the Azzurri fading into obscurity, and Rino Gattuso – known as ‘Ringhio’ – who, in his Iberian retreat, mulls over what might have been but never was. Today, six months on, life – as unpredictable as the game of football – is giving him a great deal back, even if not everything. Between Formello – Lazio’s training ground – and Olgiata, the chic residential area of villas beyond the Cassia Bis in the far north of the capital, he is a serene man. They’re top of the table and no one – perhaps not even he himself – dared to imagine such a thing, especially after that summer of discontent, that bleak and acrimonious Ferragosto, with his new team’s humiliating elimination from the Coppa Italia at the hands of Mantova. Elsewhere, such a setback would have sparked controversy. But this is Lazio – the club of endless disputes between Lotito and the fans; of a transfer window with no money; of free transfers; of Gattuso’s contract: one year at just over one and a half million euros, with an option to renew for the following season, provided the team finishes among the top twelve in Serie A.

In short, you get the picture: two months ago we were talking about group discounts, about ‘let’s save ourselves if we can’, as almost everything seemed lost. But he, the man from Calabria, with the pain of that searing blue still lodged deep in his soul, didn’t agree at all. After all, there was already a subtle yet incredibly resilient bond between Gattuso and Lazio – or rather, Lotito.

Exactly seven years ago, in October 2019, Inzaghi’s Lazio were 3–0 down at half-time against Gasperini’s Atalanta. Igli Tare, the Biancocelesti’s sporting director at the time, dialled Gattuso’s number and summoned him to Rome. Rino set off, but immediately turned back: Lazio equalised in the second half with two penalties from Immobile and a goal from Correa, and the deal fell through. However, Lotito, Lazio’s volcanic and highly controversial chairman, had always had Gattuso in mind. And following Sarri’s second departure, the partnership finally came to fruition. The credit, it must be said straight away, goes to the manager, a man battered by a long career of disappointments (the two Champions League spots that slipped away with Milan and Napoli, the Scudetto that got away in Split, the troubles in Crete, the disastrous spell at Pisa, the madness of the Sion chairman in Switzerland), who addressed the squad during the sweltering days of the training camp at Formello with a simple message: “Lads, if anyone doesn’t feel up to it, they can leave.” For long-standing Lazio supporters, those words brought to mind the feat from exactly forty years ago by Eugenio Fascetti, who – with the team penalised by nine points – saved Lazio in the wake of the second betting scandal and, in effect, kept the club alive; had they lost the play-offs to avoid relegation to Serie C, it would have disappeared. Those words immediately created a sense of empathy. The rest was down to the determination of one man, Gattuso, who is drawn to extreme situations, complicated challenges and difficulties. So saying ‘yes’ to Lazio had not been difficult, even though the issue of the strike, to be honest, troubled the Biancocelesti’s new manager: playing in an empty Olimpico was a major handicap, almost insurmountable. But that is simply how it is.

And so, after the two defeats at the hands of Mantova, Gattuso addressed the team once more: “Lads, I have faith in you, let’s carry on like this.” Five wins and a draw – which could have been a sixth victory (against Milan, where we were a bit too cautious) – in these exact two months of the league season. Of course, the manager’s qualities have also been bolstered by a bit of good fortune: with Cataldi and Rovella in the side, would we ever have witnessed the resurgence of Belahyane, that truly baffling enigma from Baroni’s Lazio transfer window? And without any centre-forwards, might we have discovered that Noslin – whom Gattuso sees as a pure winger – could actually be a successful centre-forward? Moreover, had the fixture list included more demanding matches against top-tier opponents, would we have witnessed the same flying start from a squad reinvigorated by the man from Calabria? Probably not. Yet it would be unfair to dismiss it all as a stroke of luck. The resurgence (for now, because the lad is unpredictable) of Nuno Tavares, the choice of Mandas between the posts, and the faith placed in Sutalo are an indelible mark on Gattuso’s tenure at Lazio. With the addition of Frattesi—the midfield is now the pride of this team—the arrival of Pinamonti, and the return of injured players, the future appears promising. “But we’ve got nothing to do with those lot,” Gattuso repeats with conviction, when – statistics in hand – people wonder about Lazio as the underdog that upsets the apple cart, just as Bagnoli’s Verona or Ranieri’s Leicester did. Like a skilled snooker player, Lazio’s bearded mastermind preaches patience and a steady approach. He knows that – starting with tomorrow’s clash against an unpredictable Juventus at the Stadium – a lot can change. But it would be a mistake not to capitalise on this enthusiasm, this sense of togetherness. So, whilst Gattuso officially praises his players, last week he organised a dinner with around fifty club staff members at his favourite restaurant in Formello. He paid the bill, offering toasts and smiles to those who work behind the scenes but bring passion and loyalty to the club’s colours. This, too, is how winning seasons are built – by making everyone feel part of a project, part of an adventure. After all, for someone who has lost a 37-year-old sister, who is battling a degenerative eye condition and who has missed out on the biggest professional opportunity of his coaching career, everything else may seem small, even insignificant. The strength of someone who has nothing to lose. “We’ve picked up more points towards survival,” he repeats cautiously after every victory. But in his sincere eyes, one can clearly read the maxim so dear to the Brazilian poet Paulo Coelho: “Only one thing prevents a dream from coming true: the fear of failure.”