In the aftermath of Atalanta’s defeat to Inter Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal, Gian Piero Gasperini expressed his thoughts on the match during an interview with Mediaset. Reflecting on the 2-0 loss, which featured a brace from Denzel Dumfries, Gasperini emphasized the contentious nature of the first goal scored by Inter. He stated, “The first goal doesn’t exist: there was no corner kick, there was a position of De Vrij in front of Sommer and a clear foul on Scalvini,” indicating that he believed the corner leading to the goal should not have been awarded.
Gasperini acknowledged that his team had made several mistakes, particularly in the first half where they lost critical possession. However, he noted some positive aspects, saying, “Overall, I had good responses; in the second half we created a few scoring chances and we were a bit unlucky.”
Addressing speculation about his commitment to the Supercoppa, Gasperini stated, “I did not snub the Supercoppa; we tried to win against a very strong team.” He explained that with many players in rotation due to a demanding schedule in Serie A, it was necessary to give opportunities to those who had not played much recently. He mentioned players like De Ketelaere and Lookman, emphasizing that “they cannot play 56 matches of 90 minutes.”
Gasperini also praised Giorgio Scalvini’s performance in midfield after a long absence and suggested that he could be a valuable option moving forward. He remarked, “The boys need to have value; I try to bring it out and this also comes from confidence in matches like tonight.”
As Atalanta look ahead, Gasperini’s insights reveal both disappointment and hope for future performances. He concluded by saying, “We did not deserve to lose; for me it was an excellent test considering we had players like Zaniolo and Samardzic who rarely start.”
