Lazio’s Cataldi says referee lacked personality, unacceptable in Serie A

Lazio’s midfielder, Danilo Cataldi, is left frustrated and questioning the team’s performance in their recent 2-1 defeat against Salernitana, according to Sky Sport.

“What’s happening? I don’t know, it’s a complicated question,” remarked Cataldi. He went on to express disappointment about Lazio’s current standing in the league, implying that such setbacks were unbecoming of his team’s level of play. The anchor of Lazio’s midfield system highlighted the team’s lack of consistency, particularly in the second half of games, where they often appear passive and thus, vulnerable to conceding goals.

He stressed the need for a shift in approach if Lazio are to reach their objectives for the season. “There’s not one prime aspect worrying me, there are several,” he continued, suggesting that both mental and tactical elements of the game were in dire need of improvement.

Yet he warned against drawing comparisons with past seasons, considering the only adequate measure of progress to be the team’s performance on the pitch. But he acknowledged that those performances were simply not meeting the standards expected of a club like Lazio.

On the topic of a contentious double booking for Gyomber, Cataldi dismissed it as an “excuse”, but added that in his view, it was an incident far too significant to be dealt with in such a manner.

“I think the referee lacked personality as just a few minutes previous, he had issued a penalty and booked him,” said the disgruntled midfielder. He bemoaned that a Serie A referee missed seeing the need for a yellow card in such a situation.

“I expected at least that the penalty was not given, even though it was clear cut, but that intervention was too much,” concluded the Lazio player.