Lazio have only managed seven top-four finishes in Serie A since they last won the title in 2000.
During that time, the Biancocelesti have finished fourth three times, third three times and second on just one occasion. Since their second-placed finish in 2022/23, Lazio have finished seventh, seventh again, and ninth.
But after 10 games of the 2026/27 Serie A season, Lazio are top of the league. They’ve only dropped points in one of their games so far, a 2-2 draw with AC Milan in September. Since then, though, Lazio have won their past four games including a win over Juventus.
So, how have Lazio made their way to the top of the table?
Lazio’s rise to the top of Serie A
A settled starting XI
Gennaro Gattuso took charge of Lazio in the summer with a reputation to rebuild. He oversaw Italy‘s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with a penalty-shootout defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in their play-off final. It came after underwhelming spells at Hajduk Split, Marseille and Valencia. And he hardly pulled up any trees with his time at Napoli or AC Milan.
But this has been different. Gattuso has gone back to his managerial routes, switching to a 4-3-3 that he had initially used at AC Milan and early in his Napoli spell. Midway through his time at Napoli, Gattuso switched to a 4-2-3-1 and favoured that more. There were still spells for his sides in a 4-3-3, but it wasn’t prolonged and there were a lot of changes.
Team rotation among current Serie A top four
| Team | Players with 8+ Serie A starts | Total changes between Serie A starting XIs |
|---|---|---|
| Lazio | 8 | 14 |
| Inter Milan | 6 | 40 |
| Roma | 4 | 36 |
| Como | 6 | 35 |
A settled starting XI has worked well for Lazio so far this season. Eight players have started at least eight of their 10 league games, with three starting every match to date. Gattuso rotated his starting lineups more early on, with nine combined changes across the first four Serie A matches. But since then, he has made just five changes across six games.
That’s a stark contrast to the rest of the teams currently in Serie A’s top four. Inter Milan have made 40 changes in total between their starting lineups this season, four more than Roma‘s 36. Como are only just behind too, with 35 changes between their starting lineups this season. It is worth noting, though, that all three of those teams are also playing European football this season, while Lazio’s only focus will be Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
Efficiency in attack
This is a very interesting Lazio side when it comes to hurting opposition defences. The Biancocelesti are the third-highest scorers in Serie A this season with 24 goals. Only Inter Milan (26) and Roma (28) have scored more than Gattuso’s side so far this season. Lazio also sit second for their 20 goals from open play. But what makes this so remarkable is that Lazio are not ranking well for their shots.
The Serie A leaders have taken 138 shots so far this season, which is only the 10th-most in the division. It’s even worse for their shots on target, with just 46, the 13th-most in Serie A. Lazio have the sixth-worst shooting accuracy in Serie A but the second-best shot conversion rate.
The real difference for Lazio has been the quality of their finishing. Although they aren’t hitting the target too often, when they are it’s making a difference. Lazio are one of just five teams in Serie A to have a positive difference between Expected Goals and post-shot xG of at least 1.0 (+1.24). They’ve upped their xG from 16.48 to 17.72 post-shot xG, meaning they are increasing their chances of scoring based on shot placement.
Zaccagni and Noslin’s key partnership
Lazio captain Mattia Zaccagni has led by example this season. The winger has started every game in Serie A and has been directly involved in seven goals. No Lazio player has been involved in more. Five of those involvements have been assists, the joint-most in Serie A as a whole.
Zaccagni also ranks joint-third for his 23 chances created this season, with only Paulo Dybala and Nicolo Barella (eight) creating more big chances than his seven. And only Dybala (3.42) has recorded a higher Expected Assists total than Zaccagni’s 2.68 in Serie A this season. But Zaccagni isn’t just creating goals. He has also chipped in with two himself, and his 27 shots is more than any other Lazio player.
But the main man on that front has been Tijjani Noslin. The Dutchman has been Lazio’s starting striker this season, after being used across the frontline in 2025/26. And it’s paying off. Noslin is Lazio’s joint-top scorer in Serie A this season, with four goals, alongside Gustav Isaksen. What makes Noslin’s return more impressive, though, is his efficiency. The 27-year-old has scored his four goals from just 13 shots, with six hitting the target. His conversion rate of 30.77% is among the best in Serie A.
Like Zaccagni, though, Noslin isn’t a one-trick pony. In fact, he joins Zaccagni on seven direct goal involvements this season, adding three assists to his four goals. That’s despite only creating six chances. Talk about efficient.