When they ask him if he snubbed the Italian Super Cup Gian Piero Gasperini it doesn’t fit. His Atalanta lost 0-2 to Inter in Riyadh in the semi-final, the coach left several starters out of the starting line-up playing with Samardzic, Brescianini and Zaniolo between the attacking midfield and attack. After seven months, Giorgio Scalvini returned to the field, having returned from a long injury and for the occasion deployed in midfield.
GASPERINI: “WHY DE KETELAERE AND LOOKMAN DIDN’T PLAY WITH INTER” – Speaking at the microphones of Mediaset post-match, Gasperini commented on the choice of turnover: “We tried to win against a very strong team, making some mistakes; but players like De Ketelaere and Lookman cannot play 56 90 minute games. We didn’t fail, for me it was an excellent test considering that there were players like Zaniolo and Samardzic who are unlikely to start; Furthermore, Scalvini was returning after a long time, he did well in midfield and could be a choice worth repeating.”
THE ROSA OF ATALANTA – In the first part of this season Gasperini played practically all the players available in the squad, the only one who has never taken the field yet is Gianluca Scamacca still struggling with the rupture of the cruciate ligament (he should return at the beginning of February). For the rest, everyone played: too the third goalkeeper Francesco Rossiabout ten minutes coming on in place of Rui Patricio in the Italian Cup against Cesena. Just under half an hour for the talent born in 2004 Vanja Vlahovic and a few presences too Ben Godfrey, the English winger who arrived in the summer but will probably leave Atalanta after just six months. The most present? AND Marten de Roonwith 2295 minutes divided into 26 games (3 goals) he played even more than Carnesecchi. The Dutch midfielder is the player Gasp can’t do without.
