Following La Dea’s disappointing 2-1 loss to Lecce at the Gewiss Stadium, Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini provided his perspective on the match while speaking to the media. “We pushed a lot and created a lot of situations, kicking a lot on goal. Everything turned badly… We always concede these goals at the start and it’s not great for a team. Perhaps we also lacked a little quality in shooting or passing . Then we also suffered from corners, conceding the double goal. We created a lot of problems on our own and our forwards didn’t have the brilliance to turn the chances created into goals,” Gasperini stated as he commenced the press conference as per Tuttomercatoweb.
A fabulous low-driven shot by Assan Ceesay from a hefty distance had burst into the low-corner past Juan Musso to stun Gasperini’s men within the first two minutes of the fixture.
Although Atalanta created several goal-scoring opportunities through their aggressive and swift build-up play, they were punished for not being clinical in-front of goal as Alexis Blin headed home a well-constructed set-piece within the 72nd minute.
Despite Rasmus Hojlund’s late goal, it was not enough as Atalanta failed to obtain a single point within their home soil. As it stands, La Dea have now slipped into sixth place with 41 points following the victories of both Inter and Milan, on level terms with Roma who have a game-in hand as they are facing Verona this evening.
While speaking to the media, Gasperini expressed his disappointment regarding the result, as well as the affects that the shocking defeat might have on the players as his men prepare to face Milan at the San Siro next week in a crucial match within the race for a top-four spot:
The next Serie A match will see you play against Milan: is it easier to face the big teams?
“No, it’s more difficult. It always depends on how the game goes. If we had taken advantage of an opportunity, today it would have gone differently. The bad signals from the two goals remain”.
How do you judge the performance of your midfielders today?
“Ederson held the right position and then struggled a bit. Koopmeiners was too frantic and wanted to resolve the game without being the fulcrum”.
How do you explain the difference in performance between home and away?
“A phenomenon that can be explained because it is due to the characteristics of the forwards. When you play at home you have to face teams that give little space. Today we conceded goals from thirty meters and a corner kick, then zero shots on goal. We didn’t take so many situations, but we can’t score goals despite creating in games like these. The episode could also come but in other times we had security. I prefer to play with teams that remain closed. There you have the opportunity and out of twenty offensive situations you come up with something”.
Why the change of Boga?
“Boga must absolutely try to be a more varied player, also in terms of position. He also made good plays in the first half, I don’t think he played a bad game, but it’s undeniable that he also has to vary his positions. He’s not very good at defensive end like Hojlund and Lookman, so it becomes difficult to support him”.
