How Gattuso Outwitted Spalletti in Juventus vs Lazio Showdown

On Sunday, Lazio outplayed Juventus en route to a historic 3-0 win, as Gennaro Gattuso got the better of Luciano Spalletti from a tactical standpoint.

The two managers had crossed paths on several occasions in the past, including Derby della Madonnina clashes between Gattuso’s AC Milan and Spalletti’s Inter. Moreover, both of them took their current roles in the hopes of rebounding from a miserable tenure at the helm of the Italian national team. But while the Calabrian is finding joy in his early days in Rome, the Tuscan is struggling in Turin.

Ahead of Sunday’s meeting, Lazio were surprisingly five points ahead of the Old Lady. By the end of the evening, the gap was widened to eight points, with the teams’ displays fully justifying it.

While many would argue that Juventus, despite their many absences, boast the better team, Il Corriere dello Sport highlights Gattuso’s tactical tweaks as one of the main reasons behind the large result.

The Roman newspaper noted how the 48-year-old asked Christos Mandas to act as the third defender in the buildup, joining Oliver Provstgaard and Josip Sutalo. The Greek goalkeeper effectively took the role Reda Belahyane had been performing in recent weeks. The Moroccan instead operated in a slightly higher position.

Moreover, Gattuso sent his box-to-box midfielders, Kenneth Taylor and Davide Frattesi, further forward to form a five-man attacking unit alongside Tijjani Noslin, Mattia Zaccagni and Gustav Isaksen.

The idea was to lure in the Juventus attacker and invite them to press high, before sending the ball forward through Mandas. While the goalkeeper’s long passes weren’t always on cue, Lazio had enough men forward to pounce on second balls and cause havoc in the opposition’s area.

In addition to this tactical manoeuvre, Gattuso encouraged his players to engage in one-on-one duels. His gruelling pre-season training is also paying off, with the Biancocelesti outrunning Spalletti’s men 122,894 km to 117,035 km.