Gattuso: Frattesi's Move from Inter to Lazio Was the Player's Choice, Not Something I Persuaded Him to Do

In Serie A's third round, Lazio will travel to face Udinese. Before the match, Gattuso attended a media day event and appeared to be in a very positive mood. At the club's media meeting, the coach also spoke to reporters about Frattesi and revealed some behind-the-scenes details.

Regarding Frattesi, Gattuso said: “It was not me who convinced him to come here. Frattesi chose to join Lazio because it was his own decision, and the club also did everything possible to sign him. I could say a lot, and I can speak openly.”

I have a very good relationship with him. I coached him when I was in charge of the national team, and we built a very harmonious relationship. During every national team camp, I often communicated with him and talked about his situation. The credit belongs to him and to the club that gave everything to bring him back home.

Speaking about the match environment and fans, Gattuso said: “If I said the pressure brought by the stadium environment was insignificant, I would be deceiving myself. The pressure is real, and that is an objective fact. When you play at a beautiful stadium like the Olympic Stadium but do not receive support from your own fans; when you cannot go toward the stands after scoring, and when you hear boos if the team performs poorly. I think this is normal, this is part of our job. It is an additional situation we have to face. Football without fans cannot be called football; it would become another sport.”

He continued discussing the fans: “We must focus on doing our own job. I have long known that we would face these difficulties. The only way forward is to keep working hard and always be prepared. I hope that one day this situation can change, and we can once again embrace the fans who support us. There is very little we can do at the moment. We need to respect the fans' choices; their attitude and position have always been consistent, and that is the reality. I can only accept it calmly, while holding one hope in my heart: that one day the Olympic Stadium will be filled with fans who support us.”