Atalanta took home three precious points against Cagliari with a narrow victory, but Gian Piero Gasperini did not let himself be carried away by the enthusiasm. Speaking to DAZN, the Nerazzurri coach spoke about his players’ performance, highlighting positive aspects such as the excellent reaction in the second half, but also underlining the limitations that emerged in managing the lead. Here are the words of Gasperini, who looks ahead with realism and determination, aware that the team’s growth journey is not yet over. Here is what was highlighted by TuttoAtalanta.com
Mister, in the second half your boys attacked with more conviction, responding well to your requests. Are you satisfied with the result obtained?
“Bringing home such an important victory is never easy, especially in a hard-fought match like this. In the first half we weren’t very dangerous, we created very little and, I admit, we were also lucky in some situations thanks to Carnesecchi, who gave us In the second half, however, with some changes, the team reacted well, but we still had to improve on the advantage we exploited. This forced us to defend with great attention, and this is where my defenders and midfielders did a great job.”
Before the Udinese-Napoli match, this victory gives you a five-point margin. Do you think your team is ready to fight for important goals?
“No, not yet. We are a team that still needs to mature in many aspects. There is a core group that has the right mentality, but not everyone is at that level yet. It is a growth that must happen quickly, because to compete at high levels, we need a solid mentality at every moment of the match. We have won ten games in a row, but it doesn’t mean anything: the other teams are there, close. We just have to look at our steps and continue to work.”
On several occasions we saw her call out the team for managing the balls at the end. What didn’t you like?
“There was a bit of lack of clarity at the end. We weren’t able to get out of some situations well, and when you lose the ball too quickly you expose yourself to avoidable risks. Luckily we were good at defending with everyone, not just with the defenders, but I would have preferred more precision in managing the ball. This is what we need to work on: defending in a compact way and making better use of the counterattacks.”
He made three changes at half-time. Didn’t you like the first half? Do you think the match against Real Madrid affected the team’s energy?
“I wouldn’t say that the commitment against Real Madrid had an impact on everyone. Some players played 95 minutes again today with great intensity. The changes were necessary because we weren’t able to be dangerous. In the first half we had too many offensive players who left space for the opponents In the second half we were more balanced, we had better control of the game and found the goal. However, we must learn to maintain the same intensity and precision even in decisive moments.”
The victory over the difficult Cagliari represents an important step for Atalanta, but coach Gasperini does not lose sight of the aspects to improve. The team showed character and the ability to suffer, but also immaturity in some phases of the match. For the technician, the path to the top requires constant work and mental growth. With the same determination seen in the second half, the Dea can aspire to ambitious goals, but the focus remains on one step at a time.
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