Gian Piero Gasperini outlines how Atalanta demolished Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League and what they must do to become Scudetto challengers. ‘We can improve.’
Having spent his entire career without winning a single piece of silverware, the coach finally got to lift a trophy into the air in Dublin.
He did it in style, crushing the previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 with a hat-trick from Ademola Lookman.
“I knew we could’ve created problems for them, as I studied many Bayer Leverkusen games and they are not accustomed to being attacked the way we did. We had the right characteristics to make them play badly,” Gasperini told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
La Dea won by throwing everything at their opponents, starting all the available strikers, whereas Bayer Leverkusen fielded a False 9.
“My objective has always been to achieve results through good football. I have always been thoroughly convinced that if you play well, you have a better chance of winning.
“Many think the opposite, that beauty is an obstacle to the result, which I find absurd. I got many results at Crotone, Genoa, Atalanta. If you don’t get results, then nobody will recognise the quality of your football.”
Gasperini has also been using a three-man defence for most of his career, something that effectively got him fired at Inter.
“People didn’t really understand what I was doing then. In 2006 at Genoa, we were the only team with three at the back, now 80 per cent of teams in Europe play like that. I’ve never been as innovative as I was then.”
Now that Gasperini has taken Atalanta to the Europa League victory and qualified for the Champions League again, is it onwards and upwards towards a Scudetto challenge?
“We are 25 points off the top of the table, which is an abyss. The Scudetto is won with at least 90 points, we twice got 78 and this season if all goes well we’ll close on 72. That has been our target so far.
“Adding another 15 is not easy, even if we avoid a few more defeats. In order to make the step up in quality and win, you need to lose out economically. And Atalanta cannot afford to do that.
“We sell our players and if we sell a Teun Koopmeiners, it is not that easy to find another. By selling you do not reinforce, you rebuild. Teams that win the Scudetto add to the squad, they do not remove the strongest players.”
As part of the contract negotiations, has Gasperini asked Atalanta to change that?
“I am thinking of how to improve the team. We were fantastic, the best, but not the strongest this season. In terms of strength, we can improve.
“It all has to be compatible with the market and the offers that we receive, just like for Rasmus Hojlund.”
The Danish striker was a masterclass in Atalanta economics, purchased from Sturm Graz for €20m and then sold a year later to Manchester United for €84m including bonuses.
Would it be utopia or hope for Atalanta to keep Koopmeiners and Ederson this summer?
“I would like to call it hope. Atalanta already rejected big offers for Koop in January. Players are happy to come here, especially in the Champions League, but the salary cap that we quite rightly maintain can be an obstacle.”
Gasperini already confirmed he turned down an offer from England, as well as the Napoli approach, so did he really think about leaving Atalanta?
“I had sensed a little fatigue, the President seemed ready to let me go, so he said, but then the season took a glorious turn and he changed his words. We carry on like this.”
What about a national job?
“I don’t think I have the right characteristics.”
