Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini did not hold back in his post-match comments following his team’s 2-1 defeat to Club Brugge in the first leg of their Champions League playoff. The match was decided by a controversial stoppage-time penalty that left Gasperini and his side furious.
Speaking to Sky Sport after the game, Gasperini expressed his frustration with the state of modern football. “The drama is that we are infecting all of football, which is heading in a direction completely unrelated to the essence of this sport,” he said. “Everyone has a completely different idea of fouls. The real tragedy in football today is the issue of contact. Most players now dive and scream, all with the intention of ‘stealing’ something. Football is now moving in a direction that has nothing to do with the game itself. I no longer understand the rules of football.”
Gasperini continued to criticize how contact is perceived in the modern game. “The drama is that we can no longer distinguish between contacts in football. After jumping like penguins, we’ll soon be running like penguins too. Football is changing into a completely different sport,” he added, clearly exasperated by the current trends.
Looking ahead to the second leg, Gasperini acknowledged the challenge awaiting his team. “In six days, we will need a miracle because we have to win by two goals, and they are a good team. We’ll need to take more risks because they also play a lot through their goalkeeper. It will be a very difficult match. In the first half-hour today, we played poorly and suffered, but this team grows as the minutes go by, and we managed to equalize.”
The coach also addressed Atalanta’s current injury concerns, which have complicated their campaign. “At this moment, we have a small emergency. We hope to recover Kolasinac and Lookman for the return leg. It’s pointless to keep talking about players with long-term injuries after every match,” he concluded.
