Gattuso insists Lazio can surprise after 3-0 win at Juventus

Gennaro Gattuso believes Lazio are making real progress after a 3-0 victory away to Juventus, but he has warned his players not to focus on the league table. "We mustn't look at the table right now. We'll enjoy this marvellous victory, but then heads down and back to work ahead of Parma. We're not accustomed to being up there, and maybe we're not ready to be either, but if we take it one game at a time, we can surprise people."

A landmark result in Turin

Lazio's win was their first in Turin since October 2017. Oliver Provstgaard headed the opener, Gustav Isaksen struck, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru sealed the result late on with a run from his own half. The Aquile are the only side keeping pace with joint leaders Inter, who share 19 points after seven rounds. It is officially the best Lazio start in history, ahead of their 1999/2000 Scudetto campaign.

Progress despite setbacks

The result continues a strong run: six Serie A wins and a dramatic 2-2 draw with Milan. The season began with an early Coppa Italia exit and limited spending in the transfer market, and Lazio have also been without Albert Gudmundsson, Matteo Cancellieri, Nicolò Rovella, Alessio Furlanetto and Adam Marusic through injury.

Gattuso said the squad had been built on determination rather than money. "It is the first time I've won here since I started doing this profession. My staff and I propose ideas, but it's the lads who put it into practice, so they deserve the credit," he told DAZN Italia. "We push hard in training, but we've created a real family unit here. The club also deserves compliments, as we had little money for the transfer market, but we went looking for good people who were determined, who wanted to come here at all costs."

Tactics and control

Gattuso's side overloaded Juventus's wingers and caught the hosts offside six times. Yet the coach was candid about the areas that need work. "Against Milan and Venezia we were dominant and then just stopped. This is why I feel this is progress, because we are all or nothing, we don't yet have the maturity to control a lead. That is why we've always got to push with vehemence, as it's what took us to this success."

Man-management

Provstgaard said after the game that he had never experienced an atmosphere and team spirit like the one at Lazio's Formello ground. Gattuso credited a change in his own approach. "I worked on myself, there are two or three things that I am intransigent on, but the rest I listen to the players, I don't get as angry with them." He added: "Players are more evolved now than they were in my day, but the difference is they tend to give up at the first sign of difficulty, so it's about not letting them give up."

A rare moment with the fans

Lazio supporters have boycotted home games for many months in protest at president Claudio Lotito, so the win gave the club a rare chance to celebrate with the ultras, who travelled to Turin in large numbers.