Gian Piero Gasperini admits he was disappointed in conceding so early to Milan, and called their equaliser a ‘VAR penalty: It’s modern football’. A wonderful Rafael Leao opener put the Rossoneri ahead within 5 minutes, but Teun Koopmeiners equaliser from the spot just before the end of the first half. Speaking with DAZN post-match, Gasperini offered his own assessment of the game and his tactical choices:
“We conceded a goal after 30 seconds, moreover in a situation we worked on a bit during the week, which is a strength of Milan from that side. Conceding a goal so quickly disappointed me a bit.”
Regarding the choice to switch to a three-man midfield, the coach stated: “It’s normal that all teams have a plan A and a plan B. Milan often plays with a midfield of 3, only sometimes Loftus-Cheek is on the right, and someone else plays on the left. We just reversed positions with de Roon and Ederson. Surely, this wasn’t what caused difficulties in our game, except for Milan’s performance, which was certainly high-level. We suffered a lot, but we managed to take home a point, with great difficulty. Compared to the other matches we played in the past few months, this was surely the most difficult. I would also like to say it’s credit to Milan, which is undoubtedly a great team.”
Gasperini then responded to a question about the lack of danger from De Ketelaere and Scamacca: “We need everyone, not just Scamacca. We need to develop the game better. We won’t always face Milan like tonight; we’ve faced them before, and it wasn’t the same. Every game has its own story. Tonight, as I said before, we suffered, but earning a point still boosts morale in a difficult match. Then maybe the next ones will be different and with better results.”
The coach concluded by commenting on Giroud’s foul on Holm, which earned Atalanta the penalty: “Now I’ll go see it; Orsato went to see it on VAR and awarded this penalty. These are VAR penalties, as there have been many this year. I’ve never been in favor of these types of penalties, but they have become very frequent. However, we have a good amount of penalties owed against Milan, then I agree that unfortunately in today’s football, there are many penalties that perhaps those from another generation don’t recognize as much. As well as many contacts, simulations, many people staying on the ground. They say it’s modern football, I don’t like it very much, but it is what it is. Favored also by your television networks, which love this type of football. I much less, then sometimes you have it in your favor, sometimes against.”
