Gattuso at the Trento Festival – Lazio, Milan and Bosnia
The Social Theatre of Trento hosted the final day of the 2026 Sports Festival, where Gennaro Gattuso, Lazio's coach, was interviewed by Luigi Garlando in the panel “Never Give Up”. The coach talked about Milan, Lazio and the sleepless months for Bosnia.
Gasperi and Sacchi's Legacy
A broadcast video shows coach Francesco Gasperini inviting Gattuso to dinner, saying “Gasp has always been there. He called me and told me to hold on, that he liked how I was playing at that time”. Gattuso added that Gasperini, after Sacchi, brought an epoch‑making change to football and that many colleagues try to imitate his style, “but we hardly manage to do so”. His words were collected by .com.
Regarding the derby, Gattuso said that when he hears talk of the match in the locker room or among the warehouse workers he stops it immediately, because “first the games we have to play, the derby we’ll think about the week before”. He then spoke about the possibility of beating Roma, stating “it doesn’t matter at all, we have to focus on preparing the match well with Monza”. He recalled having ten movement players and, subsequently, young Primavera players, ready to give their all.
In the context of “That Napoli‑Verona”, Gattuso observed: “If we drew we would finish second, we ended up fifth, an incredible drubbing”. The memory highlights the frustration over results below expectations.
The Relationship with Lotito and the Choice for Lazio
The relationship with president Claudio Lotito was described by Gattuso as “normal”, emphasizing that he rarely argues with executives and that he values direct dialogue. He joked: “A mess, he has 4‑5 little phones, it’s hard to manage (laughs)”. Regarding the decision to take Lazio, he explained that he had endured a painful experience with the national team, that he said “no” two‑three times to Lotito, but accepted because “there was a moment of difficulty and players who had something to give”.
Gattuso recalled the “sleepless months for Bosnia”, referring to the recent difficulties of the country, and stressed the importance of present fans, stating “football without fans is not football”. He relived the experience of an empty stadium during the Covid pandemic, describing it as a test of suffering for the club.
The coach praised the young Francesco Frattesi, calling him his “Malen”. “I was lucky to coach him in the national team; I told him to make a decision and not be satisfied with 10‑15 minutes”, Gattuso said, adding that Frattesi’s choice for Lazio was “incredible” and that the club could do little in the market.
On the role of full‑backs, Gattuso stated that “only one around: Mendes of PSG”. He recalled that Mendes squandered “100 million of inheritance” received from his family, and he criticized Nuno Tavares for not having exploited his talent, declaring “I hate those who have talent and do nothing to improve themselves”.
He recounted an episode in which, during a Milan‑Juve match, he would have received a red card and then challenged coach Capello, adding “I would never want a Gattuso in my team”. He also mentioned the dismissal in Palermo after a game, corporate problems in Pisa and Crete, and the loss of the Champions title by one point with Milan and Napoli. He concluded by saying that “simple things don’t appeal to me”, but that he met “a special woman”, had children and is happy at home.