Baroni Praises Gasperini as Lazio Prepares to Face Atalanta

As Lazio gets ready to take on Atalanta in Serie A’s 18th round, coach Marco Baroni has expressed his admiration for Gian Piero Gasperini, calling him “the best coach of the last decade in Italy.” Baroni also defended his team’s offensive strategy despite recent challenges.

The match is set to begin at 19:45 GMT at the Stadio Olimpico. Lazio, still in contention for a European spot and leading their Europa League group, faces injury concerns with several key players sidelined.

Addressing criticism of his attacking formation, Baroni emphasized the importance of maintaining the team’s identity. “We must never lose our shape. We have to stick to our identity, and while we’re missing some players, we have tactical variations we can employ,” he stated.

Baroni highlighted the significance of the upcoming match, noting, “It’s a very challenging game, but precisely because of its difficulty, the team must adhere to what we’ve built so far and maintain that level of performance.”

The Lazio coach also took a moment to commend Atalanta’s Gasperini, who led his team to Europa League victory in 2024 and currently tops the Serie A table. Baroni remarked, “Atalanta has, in my opinion and with all due respect to others, the finest coach of the past decade in Italy, a true role model for many tacticians.”