Lazio defender Nuno Varela Tavares has moved from transfer speculation to first-team fixture in the opening weeks of the 2026-27 Serie A season, contributing one assist across three appearances and carrying an average rating of 7.05 as the Biancocelesti sit third in the table with nine points from three wins.
The turnaround is significant. Three months ago, Tavares was a peripheral figure at a club in institutional disarray, linked to an exit and carrying a season average of 6.90 across a campaign in which he recorded no goals and no assists. The 26-year-old Portuguese left-back is now speaking publicly about his belief in the project — and in the coach who has revived it. "Gattuso believes in me and Lazio can beat Milan," Tavares said, also crediting a previous manager for sharpening his defensive work: "Sarri improved me in the defensive phase."
That defensive improvement matters in a Lazio side that has conceded just one goal in three matches. Gattuso's Lazio have been compact without sacrificing forward momentum — four goals scored, one conceded, a clean defensive record that reflects collective organisation as much as individual quality. Tavares, operating in a system built by a coach who demands intensity and positional discipline, appears to be the beneficiary of exactly that structure.
His AI overall sits at 71 out of 100, with a potential of 75 — numbers that suggest a player still with room to grow but already operating close to his ceiling. The assist in three league appearances is a modest but meaningful contribution for a defender, and the uptick in average rating from last season signals that the context around him has improved as much as his own form.
The immediate test arrives in the form of a home fixture against Milan. Gattuso, a former Milan player himself, has spoken about the atmosphere at the ground feeling subdued — "it reminds me of Covid," he said — and the challenge of building crowd energy is as real as the tactical one. Milan's coach Amorim, meanwhile, has publicly praised Gattuso, calling him a "legend," while acknowledging his own side's lack of aggression in a recent away draw against Juventus.
For Tavares, the match is a chance to consolidate what the early weeks have suggested: that the uncertainty of the summer has given way to something more stable. Gattuso believes in him. The numbers, so far, support the decision.