Baroni: "This Team Keeps Me Up At Night. I Had No Doubts About Our Potential. The Team's Growth Is Evident, And We’re Developing A Strong Identity."

Marco Baroni's Lazio celebrated their Europa League debut with a 3-0 victory, securing three points and starting the competition strongly. During the post-match press conference at Hamburg’s Volkparkstadion, Baroni shared his thoughts.

When asked about Lazio’s critics claiming they lacked defensive strength, Baroni responded, "This team keeps me up at night. We’re focused on attacking football, and we train in non-positional football as well. People talked about a lack of balance, but our stats show we’ve conceded the fewest shots after Juventus. The team is compact defensively, and when our full-backs and forwards coordinate better, we’ll have more attacking options."

On the significance of Lazio’s performance ahead of their next match against Torino, Baroni said, "I had no doubts about our potential. Our training sessions showed the right attitude, and we must maintain that. With 47 games behind us, it's unrealistic to rely on a single lineup. This group works hard, and we will recover and prepare for the next challenge."

When asked about Lazio's ability to adapt and change tactics, Baroni emphasized, "Football is about emotions, but I focus on the team and the game. After the tough loss in Florence, we quickly prepared for this match. The team's growth is evident, and we’re developing a strong identity. Whether we play through the center or use the wings, our full-backs attacking is a vital resource for us."

On Tijjani Noslin's red card, Baroni commented, "I’ve watched the incident again. Noslin raised his arm without malice, but in Europe, such actions are deemed dangerous. Even Romagnoli told me his yellow card wasn’t warranted. We must be cautious. I brought Noslin in to help him find a goal, as he’s still adjusting to the higher level and pressure here. He and Tchaouna are improving, but we need to ease them in carefully."

When asked about Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s outstanding performance, Baroni replied, "There’s still work to do, but Dele-Bashiru has huge potential. He can evolve into a modern midfielder with the right tactical growth. He has the physicality, pace, and power to become an important player."

Regarding Ivan Provedel’s excellent display and whether Christos Mandas would get game time, Baroni firmly stated, "Provedel is our starting goalkeeper. There’s no debate about that. Mandas is talented and young, and he will get his chances, but Provedel remains the first choice."