Marco Baroni Defends Recent Lazio Displays, Urges His Winger To Become More Decisive

The Laziali

·4 December 2024

Marco Baroni Defends Recent Lazio Displays, Urges His Winger To Become More Decisive

Lazio manager Marco Baroni insists the club’s last two outings against Ludogorets and Parma weren’t as poor as the final results suggest.

The Biancocelesti were riding a seven-match winning streak across all competitions, but settled for a goalless draw at home against the Bulgarian champions in the Europa League, before succumbing to a 1-3 defeat at the hands of the Ducali on the weekend.

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Nevertheless, Baroni felt his team could have registered better results if it wasn’t for the circumstances (via La Lazio Siamo Noi).

The match against Ludogorets was unusual. We didn’t find the goal but we created several chances and played well. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to win, maybe we needed more determination in front of goal. We also weren’t lucky. In Parma, we played a good match. In the first half, the refereeing incident [disallowing Nicolo Rovella’s goal] made the team a bit nervous, but we continued to create chances. We made mistakes, we know that. They are part of the path. In the second half, I liked Lazio even more after conceding the second goal. We kept our heads down, which is an important aspect.

Coppa Italia Ambitions

The Lazio boss was speaking in the pre-match conference ahead of the Coppa Italia Round of 16 clash against Napoli. He reveals that the Biancocelesti are entering the tournament with big ambitions, while heaping praise on his counterpart Antonio Conte.

We want to do well. The team worked with great focus and desire in training. We have some defections and players to recover. We play against the well-deserving Serie A league leaders, and I’m not surprised by their position. I know Conte beyond the results, I was with him for two years [at Juventus], I saw him at work, it will be tough for everyone.

Gaetano Castrovilli Back in Action

Baroni confirms Gaetano Castrovilli is ready to make his return from injury and could make a brief cameo on Thursday.

Castrovilli is fine, he can play a few minutes. He proved he’s ready. For us, it is a positive aspect, as we believe in him, we know all about his difficult path, and we want to get him back to his best.

Nuno Tavares & Boulaye Dia

On the other hand, Nuno Tavares and Boulaye Dia could make their return against Napoli in Sunday’s league showdown.

Tavares won’t be there for this one. However, I will not throw in the towel for the next one. I don’t think Dia will play in cup tie either. It’s also possible that he could recover for Sunday.

Baroni Calls on Gustav Isaksen to Improve

Moreover, Baroni believes Gustav Isaksen still has large room for improvement, as he can become more decisive.

He can be more decisive, he knows it too. He played a good game in Parma. He had a chance that he should have burried in. He has quality, I am convinced that he can make the “click” that can make all the difference in terms of scoring. We are working on it. For now, I consider his path more than positive.

Parma Defeat’s Effect on Nicolo Rovella

Finally, the 61-year-old revealed that Rovella found the defeat to Parma hard to swallow, especially after committing a blunder on the opener.

Nicolo was the most emotionally involved, we know how much he cares, he tells me every day. He is strong technically, mentally, in running, he is fired up and alive. He wasn’t the only one who made a mistake. It was my fault first and foremost. Then everyone can do better in that situation. But we’ll have opportunities to bounce back.