According to Varzesh3, By taking 22 points from a possible 24, Gennaro Gattuso has made the best start in Lazio's Serie A history possible. A team that, despite being boycotted by its own fans, is upsetting the equations of Italian football.
Gennaro Gattuso has achieved something that could record his name forever in the history of Lazio . On Saturday evening at the Stadio Olimpico, his team beat Parma 2–1 to record their seventh win in eight Serie A matches.
With 22 points from a possible 24, Lazio are experiencing the best start in their history in the Italian league, and have even surpassed the club's best era during the Sven-Göran Eriksson years, between 1997 and 2001.
This achievement is extraordinary for a team that few expected to be in such a position before the season began. Lazio, however, have advanced week after week with remarkable consistency and have now become one of the serious contenders at the top of the table.
Kenneth Taylor opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a spectacular left-foot strike against Parma. Eight minutes later, Diego Carlos mistakenly turned Nuno Tavares's cross into his own net to give Lazio a second goal. Lontani pulled one back in the closing minutes, but it was not enough to rescue Parma.
With this win, Lazio drew level with Inter at the top of the table. Inter, by beating Fiorentina 2–1 today, drew level with Lazio on points but stood ahead of Gattuso's team at the top thanks to a better goal difference. Gattuso's men have so far scored 16 goals and conceded only five. They have the best defensive line in Serie A and one of the best defensive lines in Europe.
The question everyone in Italy is asking themselves these days is how Gattuso has turned his team into a results machine.
So far Lazio have beaten Juventus, Bologna and Genoa, and have only been held by Milan. Team cohesion has compensated for the squad's shortcomings — made worse by the club's transfer ban — and defensive solidity has allowed Lazio to move through matches without fear and with calm.
This success, however, stands in strange contrast to conditions off the pitch.
Lazio fans are still boycotting the Stadio Olimpico in protest at club president Claudio Lotito. They accuse Lotito of a lack of ambition and investment, and for that reason the stadium's stands remain sparsely populated despite the team's brilliant results. The fans do, of course, still back the team at away matches.
Source: Varzesh3
