Lotito: "Yesterday’s Match Was An Anomaly. This Is The Heaviest Defeat I’ve Witnessed In 20 Years. We Need To Focus On Recovering And See How The Team Responds In The Next Game."

The day after a crushing 0-6 home defeat to Simone Inzaghi's Inter, Baroni's Lazio team gathered at the Museo delle Civiltà in Rome’s Eur district for their annual Christmas dinner ahead of the holiday season. The event was attended by players and staff from both the men’s and women’s first teams.  

During the event, Lazio president Claudio Lotito spoke to journalists, addressing the defeat and reflecting on the team's current situation.  

"What do I think of yesterday’s match? It was a harsh blow, but sometimes a dose of humility is necessary to regroup with renewed focus and enthusiasm. The match was extraordinary in the worst sense—we lost two central defenders early on, yet for the first 35 minutes, Lazio managed to trouble Inter. However, this is the heaviest defeat I’ve witnessed in 20 years. The team collapsed afterward, but this should serve as an opportunity to reflect and regain our footing."  

"Did Inzaghi push too hard? Everyone has their own approach, and I won’t comment further. Football is cyclical, and yesterday’s game was simply unfortunate. We started poorly, missed opportunities, and faced challenges like Gila’s intestinal issue and another player being dazed from a head injury. The team fell apart, and the tactical setup played a role, but this isn’t the same squad that stood toe-to-toe with Napoli. As I’ve said before, humility is essential."  

"The transfer market isn’t like shopping at a supermarket. You don’t just pick players as if you’re buying products. Quality matters, and yesterday’s result wasn’t due to a lack of players. We have capable players, some of whom are even outside the squad list. The fans? True fans understand the game itself, not just the results. That’s the real issue."  

"Baroni has taken responsibility for the result, as he should. It’s his role to decide the tactical setup. Facing Inter under those conditions might have required a different approach, but that’s his decision, not mine. Yesterday’s match was an anomaly. Now, we need to focus on recovering and see how the team responds in the next game. With players like Castellanos and Romagnoli unavailable, the balance in the locker room is affected when too many players aren’t actively playing."  

"Our priority is to get the best out of the players we already have, helping them reach their full potential. They’ve shown their quality, and now it’s about putting them in the right position to succeed."