Crespo Praises Lazio’s Surprise Rise to Serie A Top Spot
Former Lazio, Inter, and Roma striker Hernan Crespo has expressed that Gennaro Gattuso and Lazio rightly deserve their position at the top of the Serie A standings. Crespo has called Lazio the biggest “surprise” of the 2026-27 season and has stated that anyone who previously criticized their head coach during his tenure with Italy should reconsider their stance.
As of Wednesday morning, Lazio leads the Serie A standings with an impressive record of eight wins and one draw from their first nine league matches.
Recently, they secured a significant victory over 10-man Sassuolo on Tuesday night, although the score could have been even higher, as Mattia Zaccagni and Davide Frattesi both missed penalties.
Inter, looking to close the gap on Lazio, is scheduled to face bottom-placed Venezia on Wednesday evening.
Crespo, who has played for both Lazio and Inter in his career, shared his thoughts on this season’s title race and Gattuso’s coaching abilities in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday morning.
Crespo: ‘Why wouldn’t Lazio be thinking about the Scudetto?’
While Gattuso emphasizes a one-game-at-a-time approach to avoid ‘vertigo’ from analyzing the standings too frequently, Crespo believes Lazio can rightfully start dreaming of the Scudetto: “Why wouldn’t they?”
Crespo noted, “They’ve built a special chemistry in the group, and it’s all thanks to Rino. Gattuso knows how to win, and more than tactics and technique, he brings the psychological edge. If your mindset isn’t right, progress will be difficult.”
He added, “Rino has focused on the mental aspects of his players and has inspired them to push their boundaries. Players would go to great lengths to please him.”
When asked if Lazio merits its current top position in Serie A, Crespo affirmed: “It’s well-deserved. With eight wins and a draw, what more can they do?”
“Those who doubted Gattuso now need to reassess and apologize. Yet, we know football can often be unpredictable.”
As the ninth round of Serie A fixtures unfolds, four teams—Lazio, Inter, Roma, and Milan—remain unbeaten at the top of the standings, marking the first instance in league history that four teams have started a season without a loss for this long.
In an exciting Tuesday night of matches, Roma emerged victorious with a 4-2 win over Cagliari.
Discussing Roma, Crespo mentioned: “It seemed reasonable to expect Roma at the top after a solid season last year, and their great coach Gasperini suggested further improvements were on the horizon.”
“I’m surprised by Roma’s stamina; they maintain strong performances and know how to control the game. Their ideas are clear and they play with immense energy.”
As the Serie A season progresses, Crespo concluded that while Lazio is the standout surprise, Roma continues to build on last year’s foundations, emphasizing, “This Lazio team is capable of remarkable things.”
