A Mattia Zaccagni penalty won the game for Lazio after Boulaye Dia's opener had been canceled out by Cagliari's Zito Luvumbo.
Afterwards, Baroni admitted disappointment with the performance.
We saw you particularly angry at the end, is winning like this a plus for your team? What didn't you like?
"I felt that the team needed support because it was a strange match. We took the lead right away and the team lost something by going too vertical, I made the change at half-time not to penalize Noslin but I needed to put more ball possession. The team then played 25 minutes very well with the three midfielders, we created chances. We have to think that Cagliari had a shot on goal on a deflection, they are a tough team because they are well trained and the players are attentive. These are matches where you have to give everything, I congratulate the boys because if you don't give everything you have you don't win."
When will Baroni's Lazio be able to say they are fighting for the Champions League?
"We are fighting with ourselves and this is the most beautiful challenge. We are ambitious like the team, I am particularly ambitious but I know that it is more important to look at the path. The numbers make us very happy, but the path will lead us to achieve what we want to achieve.
"This team can grow, we have young players who are already doing well but who can give much more. We will keep the standings, but we must recover quickly because on Thursday we face a big European team. The objective is to improve on what we did last year, but it would be a mistake to talk about this. There was a lot of external pressure in this match, it would be a mistake if the team were to mirror itself. We do not want to fly below, we want to keep this enthusiasm that makes us happy, but we can only do it through performances."
Can you explain the tactical change at half-time? What do you think of Pellegrini's performance?
"The 4-2-3-1 is not easy to maintain with so many games in such a short time and it forces you to play vertically, but today these conditions were not there and we needed the three midfielders who gave us a different consistency in the game. We had to get into the area not with verticalizations but through maneuvers, the team created many situations.
"I have to compliment the lads. Pellegrini is a lad who has many qualities, his head and brain need to be taken and I took it from the start. He has potential that unfortunately needs to be managed, when the players don't feel involved they get into difficulty and I understand them. If he plays with application he is a strong player."
How is Patric?
"Patric started the week with a little discomfort, today we tried but we decided not to risk it. He has already had an instrumental test and the player is fine, I do not rule out that he could recover for Porto."
How much does he need the whole squad?
"Castro needs trust and he expects it from me, I know that. Today he had a little problem, now we'll see how he is during the week. I can't wait to be able to use him, there was this exclusion from Europe that penalized him in terms of minutes. The others are guys who have to make their own path and are growing, for me Tchaouna is a strong player because when he shoots he scores but he is building a role for himself. The same thing with Dele-Bashiru, they need to understand but they will do it."
What kind of victory was today's?
"Today was a mature performance, we knew the difficulties of the match. The goal right away took something away from us, this team must never lose the thread. We will hardly win matches that we don't deserve, today the team deserved it because in the difficulties created by the opponent it created. On the right there was a double full-back with a lot of running and physical structure, there were experienced players with a lot of physical presence on the pitch. These are complicated matches and having conceded very little is important."
A judgment on Lazzari?
"Lazzari did well, he was returning and knows he can do much more. For him, physical condition is fundamental, his injury took 30 days, after 25 he played in Como. He and the medical staff were good, today I forced him and for me he did well but we have to give him time to find the condition he had before. We can't always score 3-4 goals, but there were the conditions to score at the end. Today there was a lot of desire, look at Guendo's beautiful attitude when he came out, he was pissed off and I told him that I like players who always want to be on the pitch."