Former Italian national team coach Arrigo Sacchi provided his insights on the upcoming big match between Lazio and Atalanta to Gazzetta dello Sport, praising both managers for their tactical acumen and team management skills.
Sacchi began by expressing his admiration for Marco Baroni, Lazio’s coach: “Let’s start with Baroni, whom I knew less compared to Gasperini. In this championship, he has really surprised me. I know he did very well in Verona, achieving safety that many didn’t believe in, but at Lazio he has surpassed himself. He took a beating at home against Inter, but immediately got back up, which means moral values are not lacking.”
The movement of Lazio’s team particularly impresses Sacchi: “The players are never still and follow a clear score. Evidently in training, they work a lot, and well, on these details. With this harmonic and collective movement, the departments help each other and no one ever feels alone. It’s a very European idea of football.”
Sacchi emphasizes the importance of running in Baroni’s system: “If you go faster than your opponent, you have a considerable advantage: you can get to the ball first, manage the manoeuvre, find free spaces between the lines. Baroni has managed to convince his players of the importance of the physical aspect in modern football.”
On Atalanta’s approach, Sacchi predicts: “Following his usual tactical principles. Man-to-man marking all over the field. Gasperini, who is a true master, practices the pure system and will do so at the Olimpico as well. Atalanta at the top of the standings gives me immense joy: it’s proof that success can be achieved even if you don’t have the budget of big clubs. Ideas count, do you want to get that into your head?”
Sacchi praised Gasperini’s ability to adapt: “Well, having him would have been better for Gasperini. But I’m sure he’ll invent a perfect solution for the occasion. It’s difficult to catch someone like him unprepared: he has experience, knows how to read matches, knows how to prepare challenges, and always keeps his players on their toes, in order to make them perform at their best.”
On De Ketelaere’s recent form, Sacchi commented: “That evidently he wasn’t a Nobody as those at Milan thought when they sold him, and in his growth, I see Gasperini’s hand. He has been able to revive a player who has considerable qualities, he has stimulated him and, when he understood it was the right moment, he placed him at the center of the project. Gasperini believes in the game, before anything else, it’s his strength.”
Sacchi concluded without giving a prediction but praising both managers: “I won’t take sides, but I’ll say that Baroni and Gasperini are top-level coaches, and many colleagues should take them as an example if they want to offer a spectacle.”
