Gattuso on Lazio fan boycott: ‘It feels like the COVID period’

Gattuso on Lazio fan boycott: ‘It feels like the COVID period’ Gennaro Gattuso is proud of his Lazio side after their 2-2 draw with Milan, claiming that “seeing the team not give up pleases me,” as he comments that the empty Stadio Olimpico makes it “feel like the COVID period” as Biancocelesti fans continue to protest against owner Claudio Lotito. The Aquile thought that they were on track for the perfect start to the Serie A season, as they were leading 2-0 at half-time through Matteo Cancellieri and Tijjani Noslin goals. Speaking to DAZN, via TuttoMercatoWeb , Gennaro Gattuso was left frustrated but not despondent by the collapse. It would’ve been four wins out of four, but Diego Moreira came off the bench and scored twice in 120 seconds to get Milan back on track. “In the second half, they came out with their quality,” Gattuso said. “Playing the way we want to play for 90 minutes is hard, we dropped deep at the start of the second half and we struggled. That is also understandable because we conceded two goals I would describe as wonder strikes. We were also good not to get hammered, the feeling was that we could have conceded another two.” Lazio have never in their history started with four consecutive Serie A victories, and that record won’t happen this season either, as Milan came back for the 2-2 result. Gattuso, though, took encouragement from how his players reacted to letting a two-goal lead slip. “What pleases me is seeing the team not give up, we are on the right track and seeing the lads sad makes me realise we gave a lot,” he said. “We saw a team that is alive, I am satisfied. I would have preferred the victory, but this is also part of the growth.” ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Tijjani Noslin of SS Lazio scores a second goal during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico on September 12, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images) Lazio 2-2 Milan – Gattuso says empty Olimpico ‘is not football’ It felt more like an away fixture, because while Lazio ultras did accompany the team bus from the Formello ground to the stadium, they again refused to enter as part of the boycott against President Claudio Lotito . There were more Milan fans in the stands and that inevitably affected the atmosphere. “We can do little about the situation in the stands. If they came to meet us at Formello, that is down to the lads,” Gattuso said. “We have to keep being serious and putting in dignified performances. Seeing a stadium without fans is not football to me. We have to work seriously and then we will see what happens.” He returned to the theme when asked whether this Lazio side reflects his own mentality, arguing the absence goes beyond noise. “It is not easy to play here, it feels like the COVID period with capacity at 20-30 per cent. We miss the fans terribly. Playing here with 50,000 pushing us on, we miss them so much.” ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Davide Frattesi of SS Lazio competes for the ball with Goncalo Ramos of AC Milan during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico on September 12, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images) On the football itself, Gattuso felt the game plan worked until Milan adjusted. “It would be reductive to talk only about mentality. We prepared well today, their wing-backs dropped very deep and we moved the ball around well,” he said. “In the second half we did not read them well, but the lads are a pleasure to coach. I can only compliment them for how they train and how they then go out for the game.” Albert Gudmundsson was again used in a hybrid role, and the coach suggested the Iceland international’s position will keep shifting. “He can play wide, as a false nine, or as he did today. He has quality and can play anywhere, it also depends on the game we are facing.”