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Lazio head coach Gennaro Gattuso has admitted that playing in front of a largely empty Stadio Olimpico is taking away from the essence of football after his side surrendered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw with AC Milan.
Lazio supporters continued their boycott in protest against club president Claudio Lotito, leaving large sections of the stadium empty for Saturday's Serie A clash.
The atmosphere was in stark contrast to the reception the team received at Formello before the match, where supporters gathered to back Gattuso's players despite their ongoing dispute with the club hierarchy.
The travelling Milan support provided much of the noise inside the stadium, something Gattuso admitted was difficult for his players to overcome.
Gattuso compares Lazio boycott to COVID era
Gattuso was particularly critical of the experience of playing without the club's supporters inside the Olimpico.
“We can do little about the situation in the stands. If they came to meet us at Formello, that is down to the lads. We have to keep being serious and putting in dignified performances,” Gattuso told DAZN.
“Seeing a stadium without fans is not football to me.”
The Lazio boss then compared the atmosphere to the period during the COVID-19 pandemic when matches were played behind closed doors or with heavily restricted attendances.
“It is not easy to play here, it feels like the COVID period with capacity at 20-30 per cent,” he said.
“We miss the fans terribly. Playing here with 50,000 pushing us on, we miss them so much.”
Gattuso later reiterated his frustration in his post-match press conference, stressing that supporters are fundamental to the sport.
For a manager who has consistently emphasised emotion and intensity throughout his career, the lack of a full Olimpico was clearly a source of frustration.
Lazio surrender two-goal lead against Milan
The absence of the home support was made more frustrating by the way Lazio's match unfolded.
Goals from Matteo Cancellieri and Tijjani Noslin put the hosts 2-0 ahead at half time and left Gattuso's side on course for a fourth consecutive victory at the beginning of the Serie A campaign.
However, Milan responded after the break as Lazio struggled to maintain the intensity they had shown during the opening 45 minutes.
“In the second half, they came out with their quality. Playing the way we want to play for 90 minutes is hard, we dropped deep at the start of the second half and we struggled,” Gattuso admitted.
He also felt Lazio were fortunate not to concede more after Milan's comeback.
“We conceded two goals I would describe as wonder strikes. We were also good not to get hammered, the feeling was that we could have conceded another two.”
FGG Says: Lazio players suffering from dispute
Gattuso's frustration highlights how much the current dispute is affecting the matchday experience at Lazio.
The players may still be receiving encouragement from supporters away from the stadium, but the Olimpico is a very different place when thousands of fans choose not to enter.