Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini admits it was a tough match against Juventus: “We had chances to turn it around. I don’t think Atalanta played a bad game.” La Dea had the lions share of possession but Juve had the clearer chances, winning the final 1-0 with a Dusan Vlahovic goal. Speaking with Mediaset post-match, Gasperini talked through the game, admitting that his side lacked ball management:
“We were facing a strong opponent who immediately took the lead and defended very well. It wasn’t an easy game, but we controlled the match. We had chances to turn it around. I don’t think Atalanta played a bad game; it was tough, but the opponent didn’t do much more than us.”
Atalanta’s coach also spoke about the team’s morale after the defeat: “We’re not coming out so disappointed, we’re sorry. We played our game and we come out with a narrow defeat. We’re sorry, but we also have other objectives. With De Roon’s injury and Kolasinac out, we lose a lot. However, we’ll recover Scamacca.”
Gasperini also explained the difficulties encountered during the match: “The difficulty was in managing the ball. We didn’t play quickly enough. Scamacca’s absence, in a game like this, weighed heavily. We alternated Lookman and De Ketelaere, and in the second half, we introduced Tourè, but in this game, Scamacca could have given us a lot.”
The Nerazzurri coach concluded the interview by once again discussing the match: “It’s evident that once they were in the lead, they know how to defend very well. It’s not easy to open up spaces, especially if you don’t have their physicality. In the second half, the game opened up more, but we couldn’t find the breakthrough. These games are very balanced. I think we played a good game in which we managed to concede few counterattacks despite being in a disadvantaged situation.”
